1909 Wilde Memorial Library, Acton, Massachusetts

[LIB1901] - Nice two view presentation of the library. The black and white postcard is postmarked August 13, 1908 from South Acton. It is addressed to Miss Mabel Thompson, West Townsend, Massachusetts.

The color postcard is postmarked 1909 and is addressed to Michael J. McNamara, Stoughton, Massachusetts.

Special Collection: Acton Memorial Library Civil War Archives -- In 1889, William Allan Wilde, Acton native son and successful Boston publisher, wanted to give something back to his home town. Following the example of Andrew Carnegie, he offered to build a public library. Wilde declined to have the building bear his name because he wanted it to be a memorial to the men of Acton who had served or died in the Civil War. The Acton Memorial Library was dedicated and opened to the public on May 24, 1890.

The building was designed by Boston architects H.W. Hartwell and William G. Richardson. The arched entryway featured two memorial tablets. One gave the names of Acton men who had served, and the other listed the names of those who had given their lives for the Union cause. The interior consisted of two large rooms and a smaller room for the trustees. An elaborate fireplace was the focus of the reading room. In the other large room, behind a gated screen, were the books to be checked out by the librarian. The structure cost $30,000, an enormous sum at the time.

As the years passed, many veterans and their families donated items from their military life to the library's collection in hope they could be displayed. A permanent exhibit, “Not Afraid to Go: Acton’s Part in the Birth and Preservation of Our Nation” was dedicated on Patriots Day, April 19, 2008. [Website]

The Sciences, Kenyon Cox, Library of Congress, Washington, DC

[LIB1893] Kenyon Cox (October 27, 1856 – March 17, 1919) was an American painter, illustrator, muralist, writer, and teacher. Cox was an influential and important early instructor at the Art Students League of New York. [Wikipedia]

Religion, Charles S. Pearce, Library of Congress, Washington, DC

[LIB1890] North Corridor, Great Hall. Religion mural in lunette from the Family and Education series by Charles Sprague Pearce. Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C.

James Prendergast Free Library, Jamestown, New York

[LIB1888] The James Prendergast Library was a gift to the city from Alexander Prendergast, the city founder's son and his wife, Mary. They commissioned the building in memory of their son, James Prendergast, who died in 1879 at the age of 31. The library was completed at a cost of $60,000 and was furnished with an art gallery at a cost of $45,000. It opened December 1, 1891 and contained 8,666 volumes. [website]

Public Library, Denver, Colorado

[LIB1889] Special Collection: Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library - Denver's Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, the only library of its kind between Detroit and Oakland, serves as an educational and cultural resource for the people of Denver, Colorado,
and the world, focusing on the history, literature, art, music, religion, and politics of African Americans in Colorado and throughout the Rocky Mountain West. Exhibits highlight areas such as the historic Five Points neighborhood, African Americans in early Denver (including the city's earliest arrivals), the Black West, African American leadership (the Mayor's Office and other distinguished mayors of Denver) and a
gallery of temporary exhibits. The Blair-Caldwell AARL offers full, traditional library services and is housed in a three-story, wheelchair-accessible, 40,000 square foot building. [Website]

11 Most Impressive Libraries from the Ancient World

Very nice website passed along to me by one of my readers. If you are interested in libraries, you will want to take a look. There are also related posts that you can check out. A great quick-look overview at ancient libraries. 11 Most Impressive Libraries from the Ancient World

From the website: Libraries, regardless of whether or not they attach themselves to a university, belong to a public system, or simply sit inside someone's home, exist as an essential vertebrae in society's backbone. These intellectual institutions make knowledge and education accessible to individuals, businesses and cities alike, preventing mental — and, subsequently, collective — stagnation. By no means are they anything new, either! For millennia, libraries of all shapes and sizes have kept humanity puttering ever forward, allowing for some of the greatest innovations ever conceived. Although all but one gradually fell to fire and time, these ancient wonders deserve awe and accolades for everything they've accomplished when it comes to promoting every academic and literary subject imaginable.