Lighthouse library
The libraries were housed in small, wooden bookcases with doors that opened outward. A catalog and circulation log were attached to the inside of the doors. Inside the bookcases were three shelves: two main shelves for books and bound periodicals, and a thin shelf about 1.5 inches tall, intended for two volumes of religious material, laid flat.[1] The libraries were stocked with a selection of novels, nonfiction works, religious works, and magazines.[2] Some libraries were stocked with children's books for keepers that requested them.[3]
The program was inaugurated in 1876 by Arnold Burges Johnson, a scientist and Chief Clerk at the United States Lighthouse Board.[4] It's mission was distribute small libraries to isolated lighthouses and lightships to help relieve monotony faced by keepers and their families. The libraries were intended to circulate between stations about every six months, and so each contained a unique selection of books.[2]
By 1885 there were about 380 lighthouse libraries in circulation.[1]
By 1901 the Lighthouse Board had accumulated some 3759 volumes at the general lighthouse depot in Tompkinsville, Staten Island with which to stock the circulating libraries.[5] Some books were purchased by the Board while others were donated by the public.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Johnson, Arnold B (Jan 29, 1885). "Lighthouse Libraries". Christian Union. 31 (5): 9.
- ^ a b c d Holland, F. Ross (1972). America's lighthouses: their illustrated history since 1716. Brattleboro, Vt: S. Greene Press. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-8289-0148-2.
- ^ a b Weiss, George (1926). The lighthouse service: its history, activities, and organization. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins Press. p. 80.
- ^ a b The National Cyclopædia of American Biography. Vol. 16. New York: James T. White & Company. 1937. pp. 180–1.
- ^ a b Avery, Myrtilla (1901). "Summary of New York and other traveling library systems". Traveling Libraries. Home Education Department. Bulletin 40. Albany: University of the State of New York. p. 115.
- ^ Yarborough, Margaretta J. (1992). "Library Service to the Strands: North Carolina's Lighthouse Libraries". North Carolina Libraries. 50 (1): 27–30. doi:10.3776/ncl.v50i1.2511. ISSN 0029-2540.
- ^ Johnson, Arnold Burges (1889). The modern light-house service. Washington: Government Printing Office. p. 104.