FOUNDING MOTHERS - THE CONTRIBUTION OF WOMENS ORGANIZATIONS TO PUBLIC-LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED-STATES

The work of women's voluntary associations in support of free public l ibraries in the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentie th centuries is examined in this article. This review addresses work a t the local level by individual clubs, as well as activities of state federations and of the national coordinating body, the General Federat ion of Women's Clubs. Activities studied include widespread club suppo rt of traveling libraries, clubwomen's work for library legislation, e specially to establish state library extension agencies, and local eff orts to found libraries. The cooperation of organized women's groups w ith the American Library Association, state library associations, and state library commissions is explored as well as early support to libr ary education. Findings are placed in the context of library historica l writing to suggest that a substantial contribution to American publi c library development has thus far received insufficient attention.