Library

Library History

  • New Deal

    New Deal
    Depression forces libraries to slash budgets in spite of rising use. New Deal allots federal money to rebuild and replenish libraries
  • ALA

    ALA
    ALA adopts “Library Bill of Rights” amid censorship battles over The Grapes of
    Wrath; establishes Committee on Intellectual Freedom one year later.
  • Rural Areas

    Rural Areas
    Congress passes Library Services Act to expand library services in rural areas.
  • MARC

    MARC
    Library of Congress develops machine-readable cataloging.
  • Lyndon B. Johnson

    Lyndon B. Johnson
    President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Library Services and Construction Act, which expands federal aid for public library construction and school library improvements.
  • Ohio College Library

    Ohio College Library
    Ohio College Library Center (OCLC) founded in Dublin, Ohio, to computerize state academic libraries to share costs.
  • Early Internet

    Early Internet
    Rise of private information brokers as alternatives to libraries; early Internet connections in academia.
  • Communication Increased

    Communication Increased
    Use of personal computers explodes for long-distance communication, e-mail; rise of online databases for information on demand.
  • CD ROM

    CD ROM
    Cutbacks in federal support force libraries to turn to private fundraising. Computer data bases revolutionize information industry. CD-ROMs appear in libraries.
  • National Digital Library

    National Digital Library
    Library of Congress launches American Memory project to make audio and visual
    materials accessible electronically and National Digital Library
  • World Wide Web

    World Wide Web
    Libraries and schools connect to Internet; World Wide Web, library telnet services