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Primary Researcher & Faculty Mentors
Primary Researcher & Faculty Mentors
This project was completed as part of the History Department's Honors Program in a two-course capstone sequence and is being used to fulfill the Honors College Senior Project requirement for University Honors.
Julia Moser
Majors: Psychology; Sports Management
Minor: History
Graduating May 2026
Dr. Amanda McVety
History Department
Dr. Lindsay Schakenbach-Regele
History Department
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
This project has been a culmination of nearly 10 months of research, brainstorming, writing (and re-writing), and editing. In that time, Dr. McVety and Dr. Regele have been incredible sources of support, patiently reading my drafts and talking through different ideas. They have taught me so much about the discipline of historical research and what it means to be a historian, and I am forever grateful for how they have deepened my appreciation for the field. Miami's History Department was so welcoming when I first joined this capstone sequence and began doing this project, especially as I am not a full history major, and I am deeply grateful for this opportunity.
I would also like to thank the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL) for the work they do every single day and allowing me to connect with their historian, tour the main downtown branch, and chat with their staff. The resources and opportunities they provide the local community are so crucial and the CHPL makes me proud to be a Cincinnatian!
Introduction
Introduction
The next time you are driving through your neighborhood, take a look at your local branch of the public library. Many of us don’t think about the history of these national institutions, even though they are local fixtures in our communities. A newspaper article from the Chicago Daily Tribune in 1874 introduces a sort of chicken and egg question regarding the establishment of public libraries in the United States: “The laws of books seem to reverse the laws of trade, since a supply was found necessary in order to create a demand.” As someone who has loved books my whole life, I found this quote really thought-provoking and it speaks to my research question: Why did the public library movement emerge in the United States and how was it explained or justified? How has the role of the public library changed over time?
In order to explore this topic in more concrete terms, I am doing two specific case studies: the Boston Public Library (BPL) and the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library (CPL). The BPL is the oldest large municipal public library in the US, making it a prime and well-documented example of the early public library movement. The CPL is a well-established and well-respected public library system right in my hometown of Cincinnati. There are three different lenses I am looking through to answer my research question: public opinion as expressed in newspapers, the journals or speeches of early library founders (when accessible), and finally the libraries themselves as they identified their own missions and goals.
The Boston Public Library
Boston boasts the first large public library in the United States and the first ever branch library in 1870. The main library was established in 1848 with 16,000 volumes.
The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library
Cincinnati’s main branch first opened in 1874. The library later received funding from Andrew Carnegie for multiple branch libraries across the city.
Methods
Methods
Utilizing Miami University Library Databases to locate peer-reviewed journal articles to build out the historiography
Diving into the ProQuest historical newspaper databases to locate those primary sources
Including each library's own voice by looking at their mission statement, values, and strategic goals
The library gives us an insight into what the organization itself views as its own role and significance in society. They go through different versions of these statements and goals before intentionally choosing what they will publish and advertise both on their website and in official documents. As we are discussing public libraries, we cannot exclude the perspectives of those institutions themselves. They have their own sense of identity and purpose, which adds another layer to the discussion of their value as we can see if there are any inconsistencies in how libraries portray themselves versus how they are viewed by others.
I created this mind map to illustrate the different schools of thought regarding public library development in the early US, including the most prominent historians that presented each argument and the various connections between ideas.
Historiography
Historiography
A variety of academic sources have looked at why public libraries were created and their original role in society. These authors frequently begin their work by simply saying it is a complicated phenomenon. One author attempts to describe the process and lands on: “The complex, organic–but illogical–growth of political institutions in a federal society”. We see a lot of different adjectives in that one thought and on the surface, libraries seemed to form frankly when a community came together and just decided that they needed one. Libraries were neither established nor maintained in a bubble, and there are different overarching ideas regarding that phenomenon. Looking at scholarship produced since the 1920s, there are three primary lenses – ideological, practical, and social – used to explain early public library creation in the United States.
Notable Newspapers
Notable Newspapers
1858 New York Times Article -- "Public Libraries: Address of Edward Everett at the Dedication of the City Library of Boston."
1888 Chicago Daily Tribune Article -- "Boston's New Public Library: Interesting Ceremonies at the Laying of the Cornerstone."
1962 Cincinnati Enquirer Article -- "Libraries Changing--Adult Programs, Research, Community Service Gaining"
2002 Cincinnati Enquirer Article -- "Readers Speak Volumes on Branch Library Closings"
Significance & Key Takeaways
Significance & Key Takeaways
Significance: Contribution to Academic Discussion & Incorporating Libraries’ Voices
This study’s updated historiography was able to provide a more comprehensive review of current literature and tap into different sources like historical newspapers. Other historians do not make much use of what libraries actually say about themselves through their strategic plans, mission statements, etc., so this work attempts to fill a gap there.
Key Takeaways:
Library development is complicated!
The Boston Public Library had to justify and support the general notion of public libraries as institutions, while Cincinnati was able to focus on what the local community specifically needed from a library and were more responsive to local voices.
The most consistent justification for and role of public libraries over time is the educational and informational school of thought.
Conclusion & Future Study
Conclusion & Future Study
The BPL, as the first of its kind, had to defend and justify the worth and establishment of the institution as a whole, and the intellectual argument was their primary cause. The CPL did not have to make such general and philosophical justifications as the institution was already established, but they did have to establish their value to the local community and answer the question of why Cincinnati should have a public library. The library was able to focus on what the local community truly needed and, throughout their existence, demonstrate an appreciation for and responsibility to their community.
Future Areas of Study:
Future Areas of Study:
Deep diving the change over time aspect with libraries' services and functions, especially as technology continues to develop.
Analyzing a specific population's relationship with the library over time (e.g. children).
Examining the role of librarians and the field of library science thoughout history.
The following is an image of the poster presented at the 2026 Undergraduate Research Forum.
References
References
Introduction Quote: M. Langdon, “Boston Library: A Sketch of a Noble Institution,” Chicago Daily Tribune, Feb. 15, 1874.
Historiography Quote: Robert D. Leigh, "CHANGING CONCEPTS OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY'S ROLE." The Library Quarterly 27, no. 1 (1957): 228.
Historical Cincinnati Library Images: “CHPL History.” Genealogy & Local History Department, Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library. Accessed March, 2026. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/30153da1722645b391fd1b2b216459f9.
NACE Career Readiness Competencies
NACE Career Readiness Competencies
Career & Self-Development: future work in an education-related field which benefits from the resources and activities of public libraries; personal curiosity and self-education (and a passion for reading)
Communication: organized and clear historical writing; the purposes and structure of a historiography
Critical Thinking: analyzing and interpreting various primary and secondary sources; putting sources in conversation with one another to support a larger argument
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