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iere is a woman of great achievement in the library field. Her successful crea¬ tion of traveling and free libraries, 1895—1914, especially in the undevel¬ oped portions of the State, shows Lutie Stearns a person of vision and execu¬ tion. Indeed, an inspiration to all work¬ ing women in this sharply competitive world!
Librarian Stearns
The Library Career of Lutie Eugenia Stearns
b^ Eari Tannenbaum
In library history the legend of Lutie E. Stearns is confirmed by the story of her activi¬ ties during the period 1895-1914 when she worked for the Wisconsin Free Library Com¬ mission. An apostle of traveling libraries and free libraries, she, like other library pioneers of her time, channeled all of her amazing energy into the promotion of library service. When in 1914 she resigned her position with the Free Library Commission, she ended her active library career in order to become a professional lecturer. From lecture platforms throughout the country she championed the causes of women's rights, the League of Na¬ tions, peace, and better working conditions for women—to name but a few. Yet she al¬ ways retained her interest in library work, for she knew it was an integral part of a needed adult education movement. Articles that she wrote for the Library Journal in 1931 and for her weekly column "As a Woman Sees It," which appeared in the Sunday Milwaukee Journal 1932-35, indicate that she never for¬ got the importance of the library.
To get a better understanding of Lutie Stearns's work, it is necessary to consider briefly the time in which she lived. It must be remembered that during the latter part of the nineteenth century the United States was seething with social improvement movements of all kinds. All of these schemes seemed to have as their ultimate basis the creation of a better-informed, healthier citizenry who could take their true place as citizens in a republic. From the lyceum, the chautauqua, women's clubs and university extension enterprises came educational leaders who wanted to bring literacy and culture to the foreigner, the work¬ ing man, and the farmer. Social reformers zealously advocating better working conditions, penal reforms, and woman suffrage also saw the need for brightening the lives of the poor and for combating the big city vices of drink and delinquency.
The library movement fed upon and was a part of all these. The library could educate. It could help combat delinquency and vice by furnishing a pleasant place for young work-
159
Object Description
| Title | Wisconsin magazine of history: Volume 39, number 3, spring, 1956 |
| Article Title | Wisconsin magazine of history: Volume 39, number 3, spring, 1956 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | State Historical Society of Wisconsin |
| Series | Wisconsin Magazine of History ; v. 39, no. 3 |
| Format-Digital | xml |
| Publisher-Electronic | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Rights | © Copyright 2007 by the Wisconsin Historical Society (Madison, Wisconsin) |
| Publication Date-Electronic | 2007 |
| ISSN | 1943-7366 |
| Identifier-Digital | vol39no030000 |
| Description | This issue includes articles on librarian Lutie Stearns, the renovation of Saint Raphael Cathedral, the Wisconsin Idea, and the Wisconsin State Department of Public Welfare. |
| Volume | 039 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Year | 1955-1956 |
Description
| Title | 159 |
| Page Number | 159 |
| Article Title | The library career of Lutie Eugenia Stearns |
| Author | Tannenbaum, Earl; |
| Page type | Article home; Image |
| Format-Digital | jpeg |
| Publisher-Electronic | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Rights | © Copyright 2007 by the Wisconsin Historical Society (Madison, Wisconsin) |
| Publication Date-Electronic | 2007 |
| ISSN | 1943-7366 |
| Identifier-Digital | vol39no030013 |
| Description | The Library Career of Lutie Eugenia Stearns: This biography recognizes Lutie Eugenia Stearns (1866-1943) for her achievements in the library field from 1895-1914. In addition to writing for the Library Journal and for her weekly Milwaukee Journal column "As A Woman Sees It" Stearns, with the assistance of Frank Avery Hutchins (1851-1914), developed a program of free and traveling libraries under the Wisconsin Free Library Commission, created in 1895. The article describes how Stearns traveled across the state to help found libraries, give lectures, advise on various library issues, and recruit and train new librarians. Stearns had established 150 free public libraries and 1400 traveling libraries at the time of her retirement in 1914, after which time she went on to serve as a key figure in the areas of women's rights and woman suffrage. In addition to providing an informative history on the growth of the traveling library system, this article also suggests how the improving social context at the end of the 19th century provided greater opportunities for both women and libraries in educational social movements. (7 pages) |
| Volume | 039 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Year | 1955-1956 |
| State/Province | Wisconsin; |
| Decade | 1890-1899; 1900-1909; 1910-1919; |
| Personal Name | Stearns, Lutie Eugenia, 1866?-1943; |
| Organization Name | Wisconsin Free Library Commission; |
| Subject | Librarians; Libraries; |
| Full Text | iere is a woman of great achievement in the library field. Her successful crea¬ tion of traveling and free libraries, 1895—1914, especially in the undevel¬ oped portions of the State, shows Lutie Stearns a person of vision and execu¬ tion. Indeed, an inspiration to all work¬ ing women in this sharply competitive world! Librarian Stearns The Library Career of Lutie Eugenia Stearns b^ Eari Tannenbaum In library history the legend of Lutie E. Stearns is confirmed by the story of her activi¬ ties during the period 1895-1914 when she worked for the Wisconsin Free Library Com¬ mission. An apostle of traveling libraries and free libraries, she, like other library pioneers of her time, channeled all of her amazing energy into the promotion of library service. When in 1914 she resigned her position with the Free Library Commission, she ended her active library career in order to become a professional lecturer. From lecture platforms throughout the country she championed the causes of women's rights, the League of Na¬ tions, peace, and better working conditions for women—to name but a few. Yet she al¬ ways retained her interest in library work, for she knew it was an integral part of a needed adult education movement. Articles that she wrote for the Library Journal in 1931 and for her weekly column "As a Woman Sees It" which appeared in the Sunday Milwaukee Journal 1932-35, indicate that she never for¬ got the importance of the library. To get a better understanding of Lutie Stearns's work, it is necessary to consider briefly the time in which she lived. It must be remembered that during the latter part of the nineteenth century the United States was seething with social improvement movements of all kinds. All of these schemes seemed to have as their ultimate basis the creation of a better-informed, healthier citizenry who could take their true place as citizens in a republic. From the lyceum, the chautauqua, women's clubs and university extension enterprises came educational leaders who wanted to bring literacy and culture to the foreigner, the work¬ ing man, and the farmer. Social reformers zealously advocating better working conditions, penal reforms, and woman suffrage also saw the need for brightening the lives of the poor and for combating the big city vices of drink and delinquency. The library movement fed upon and was a part of all these. The library could educate. It could help combat delinquency and vice by furnishing a pleasant place for young work- 159 |