Friday, March 30, 2012

Milwaukee Journal Headline from 60 Years Ago Today: "Most Public Libraries in State Show Serious Lack of Support"

757,000 persons = 22% of the population.

Map 1:  Direct library service by county

Counties where all residents have legal access to public libraries (1950)
Columbia
Dunn
Fond du Lac
Green Lake
La Crosse
Langlade
Lincoln
Milwaukee
Oconto
Outagamie
Pepin
Rusk
Taylor
Vernon
Winnebago
Wood

Counties where bookmobile service is provided to rural areas (1950)
Brown
Door
Kewaunee
Marathon
Marinette
Racine
Shawano

Otherwise, you needed to live in a community that supported -- and I guess this verb should be used loosely here -- a public library.

Map 2

>$1.50 per capita support by county:
Milwaukee
Racine 
Winnebago

$1.00-$1.50 per capita support:
Columbia
Dane
Door
Douglas
Eau Claire
Jefferson
Kenosha
Kewaunee
La Crosse
Manitowoc
Sheboygan

$.76-.$99 per capita support:
Brown
Dodge
Fond du Lac
Langlade
Lincoln
Marathon
Marinette
Outagamie
Rock
Walworth
Wood

$.51-$.75 per capita support:
Chippewa
Forest
Iron
Oneida
Portage
Sauk
Waupaca

$.31-$.50 per capita support:
Ashland
Barron
Clark
Dunn
Grant
Green Lake
Juneau
Monroe
Oconto
Rusk
St. Croix
Shawano
Trempealeau
Vernon
Washington
Waukesha

$.16-$.30 per capita support:
Adams
Bayfield
Buffalo
Crawford
Iowa
Jackson
Lafayette
Ozaukee
Pepin
Pierce
Price
Richland
Sawyer
Taylor
Washburn

< $.16 per capita support:
Burnett
Calumet
Florence
Forest
Marquette
Polk
Vilas
Waushara


Map 3

Most populous counties (1950) and population growth

Counties that have lost population since 1950
*Pepin County's population was 7,213 in 2000.

Other counties with significant gains in population since 1950.

Copy of Milwaukee Journal article and maps found in this publication.

Considering that there were about 170,000 farms in Wisconsin in 1952, I think the reporter used a pretty effective hook to open his story. 

Your Wisconsin librarian is likely to be a farmer's daughter, but you won't find the farm organizations supporting her work, a statewide survey showed Saturday. 

In that case, we'll have to let the Premiers (no e, actually) show her some love.

 

 Not too sure what was on my mind 60 years ago.

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