Challenges conventional thinking and top-down definitions, instead drawing on the library user's perspective to argue that the public library's most important f

And with the help of original documents, including letters of petition by schoolteachers, bankers, and civic leaders from across the United States, he provides

Tracing the evolution of the library as a modern institution from the late eighteenth century to the digital era, this book explores the diverse practices by wh

For well over one hundred years, libraries open to the public have played a crucial part in fostering in Americans the skills and habits of reading and writing,

Public Libraries in the 21st Century presents a comprehensive analysis of the impact of recent policy initiatives directly targeted at public libraries along wi