About this record
Laws passed in 1888 and 1889 required Wisconsin communities to commit tax dollars to support libraries in their schools. This booklet was an attempt by state officials to make sure that the new program exposed children to "profitable reading" that supplemented their textbooks. After a six-page essay justifying the program, most of the pamphlet consists of a list of recommended books for the various grades. It is firsthand evidence of the values promoted by educational experts as they tried to raise literacy levels and instill cultural norms throughout the state's multi-cultural mix of communities.Citation
Circular Relating to Public School Libraries of the State of Wisconsin, 1890 (Madison, Wis.: Dept. of Public Instruction, [1890])