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Written on: June 16th, 2009 by: in News
This striking, WPA-inspired image was featured in the March 1933 issue of Publishers Weekly, at the height of the Great Depression. The NPR blog recently published this story about the issue, showing a remarkable resemblance in reader preferences, library use, and the publishing industry between then and today. Escapist romances, gripping adventure tales, and broad prescriptions for the economic health of the nation were as popular then as now, with library circulation reaching new heights in both periods.
Today’s Baltimore Sun published yet another in a long line of stories about people turning to their libraries as a resource for employment resources- attendance at the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s programs has doubled, along with the city’s unemployment rate this year.