Library and Society

The book first appeared in the series – Classics of American Librarianship – and remains a dominating study which focuses on the interaction between the library and the society.The word “classics” in the title of this series is to be understood as meaning early and standard expressions of ideas that have later developed into prominence. The papers and addresses in this volume have been chosen especially with this in view, and as they emphasize social relations an effort has been made to include expressions from men of eminence whose names would not probably occur to the student of library economy as having expressed an opinion about the work of libraries or as having influenced it in any permanent way. The contributors to the book, therefore, include more statesmen, publicists, and professional men, and fewer librarians, thus reflecting the greater generality and wider interest of the subject.

About the Series Editor BOSTWICK, Arthur Elmore, American librarian and author. A student of Yale University where he received his Ph.D.degree, and taught for a short time, before engaging in literary work on ‘Cyclopedia of American Biography,’ ‘Annual Cyclopedia,’‘Standard Dictionary’ and, with J. D.Champlin, edited a popular ‘Young Folks ’Cyclopedia of Games and Sports’. He received the appointments of chief librarian New York Free Circulating Library; of the Brooklyn Public Library; of the circulation department of the reorganized New York Public Library; and of the Saint Louis Public Library when he also became president of the American Library Institute.