Libraries in Oklahoma in the 1930S

Not Gone with the Wind: Libraries in Oklahoma in the 1930s Tanya Dueker Finehum and Allen Finehum Oklahoma in the 1930s dealt with severe depression and drought, both of which affected the development of the state's public libraries. While the libraries experienced growth at the beginning of the century, helped along by the contributions of women's clubs, the establishment of a state library association and agency, and funding legislation, leaner times appeared in the middle years of the 1930s. Oklahoma's libraries began to rejuvenate by the end of the decade, with an increase in services and facilities, and avoided being "gone with the wind" of the Great Depression. Economic conditions throughout the state during the past two years [1932-1934] caused thousands of citizens to turn to the library for inspiration, economic assistance and information. ... [I]n spite of the handicap caused by the great reduction in appropriations, which curtailed book collections and reduced the staffs, the large increase in circulation figures is testimony to the demand which taxed the in- genuity and strength of every library in order that all might be served. Reports of the Oklahoma Library Commission and Survey of Libraries of Oklahoma, July 1, 1932-June 1933, July 1, 1933-June 30, 1934 In the 1930s Oklahoma had many small family farms, and local roads were often dirt or gravel. While U.S. highways began to forge their way across the state (the most notable was Route 66, which took millions of Americans west to California), the start of the interstate highway system was still more than two decades away. Oklahoma's seventy-seven counties ranged in size from 419 square miles to 2,277 square miles, and the two major cities were Oklahoma City and Tulsa; beyond these ur- ban centers, the state was limited to small towns and villages. Since the population was dispersed and the roads were in poor condition, local communities became primarily self-sufficient, and social life centered around grain elevators, schools, stores, and the local train station. In Libraries & the Cultural Record, Vol. 46, No. 3, 2011 ©2011 by the University of Texas Press, PO Box 7819, .Austin, TX 78713-7819 ' ' 277 fact, movement across rural Oklahoma was so problematic during the early days of highway development that the state created more than five hundred independent school districts.' Oklahoma contributed several elements to the Great Depression, na- tionally deemed to have begun witb tbe stock market crash of October 1929. In the 1920s and early 1930s Oklahoma's economy was based on oil production and agriculture, both of which took a major downturn in the 1930s. As oil flooded the national market from Oklahoma and nu- merous other sources, oil prices dropped, and oil field workers became unemployed. Similarly, as Oklahomans raised more farm products, com- modity prices collapsed. Farm practices and the weather contributed further. In addition to the Depression, Oklahoma experienced the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, in large part a result of farmers' destruction of native grasses that would compete vñth wheat for the soil's limited moisture. When the drought of the 1930s combined with the winds of Oklahoma, the state's agriculturally based economy toppled.'' As money for other forms of entertainment and diversion dwindled, libraries in Oklahoma experienced crowded reading rooms, increased book circulation, and increased demand on facilities.' Women's Clubs and Library Development When Oklahoma became the forty-sixth state in 1907, it had only seventeen publicly accessible libraries, and public tax support for Oklahoma libraries varied in the early years of statehood.'' As historian Esther Henke stated in her University of Oklahoma master's thesis, "The citizens who desired and were determined to have libraries did not wait for town and city governing bodies to finance their establishment. The large majority were established by local people belonging to organizations with aims of cultural, civic, or professional advancement."' Women's clubs with civic-minded and resourceful members have his- torically been an ally to libraries, and in Oklahoma they were often the nucleus of what would become public libraries. Such clubs were among the earliest organizations formed in Oklahoma, and members often had a small collection of books or access to a collection prior to moving west. As indicated in Oklahoma Libraries, 1900-1937, "Fifty-four, at least, of Oklahoma's public libraries owe their existence to women's clubs, and probably most of the others received aid in their organization from this source." Once a library became public, club members continued to support it through material and financial contributions, board semce, and volunteerism. Libraries that had this type of community backing 278 L&CR/M)i Gone with the Wind were better able to weather the lean years of the Great Depression. In addition to women's clubs, local branches of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), an association of women promoting equity for women and girls, played a major role in the growth of several libraries across the state during the 1930s. For instance, the AAUW contributed to the Guthrie Carnegie Library book fund at various times during the Depression and in 1938 gave the Tulsa Public Library $100 to purchase a book trailer that would circulate books to rural schools in the county.'' Before 1930 there were at least eighty-four club or free libraries, and throughout the 1930s many of these grew into public libraries at least partially supported by the town in which they were located. Some club libraries were dedicated to providing library service even if it was only one day a week, as in the Checotah City Library and the Arapaho Fernald Library, both of which had fewer than three thousand volumes.' After reviewing data gathered for her University of Illinois masters thesis, Elsie Sullens wrote: "Stimulated and directed to action by their national and state federations, club women in Oklahoma instituted the first traveling library systems in tbe state; aided in the organization of the Oklahoma Library Association, aided in the creation of the Oklahoma Library Commission, and in the Women's Club Service at the University of Oklahoma."" Although women's clubs contributed library services to a community, obtaining a location for their collections was a challenge. In some cases it was necessary for libraries to come under city management in order to qualify for btiilding funds from outside sources, such as those available through the Carnegie Corporation or the federal government. Many of the libraries housed in city halls or courthouses before World War I had to be relocated to make room for the Red Cross. The Collinsville Carnegie Library opened its doors in 1917 but immediately began serving as Red Cross headquarters. On the other hand, in Hooker, Okla- homa, the Red Cross building was converted into a library at the close of World War 1, serving approximately 535 borrowers in 1936.^ In addition to issues with housing collections, the majority of libraries during this period were staffed by untrained and poorly paid personnel. However, this began to change as a greater number of librarians graduated from the University of Oklahoma's Library Scbool, founded in 1929. Further, graduates from out-of-state institutions trav- eled to Oklahoma. For example, from 1930 until 1935, a graduate of the Columbia University Library School managed the Garfield County Library, the only county library functioning in Oklahoma at that time.'" ¡. • 279 Joining Forces and Gaining Momentum - .. Members of women's clubs were instrumental in organizing the Oklahoma Library Association (OLA) in May 1907, just prior to Okla- homa gaining statehood. Sixteen librarians attended tbe first meeting, including several from bigher education institutions. At the time, only eight public libraries existed in the Oklahoma and Indian Territories, and the articulate group of women that helped form the OLA was in- terested in statewide extension of tax-supported public library service. Furtber, some clubs bad been providing a traveling library service in the state and became active in the OLA to explore a more economical way of transporting their books." OLA members set about finding ways to boost library development, and they began having annual conferences. At its annual conference in 1934, the membership voted to become a contributing member of the American Library Association (ALA).''"' Milton Ferguson, a librarian at the University of Oklahoma (1902-7) and first president of OLA, was elected president of ALA in 1938. Carl Milam, also a former librarian at tbe University of Oklahoma, became the executive secretary of ALA in 1920 and was still holding that position in 1938.'' Almost from the beginning, OLA and women's club members cam- paigned for a state library agency. In 1915 the state legislature approved such an agency, but it was vetoed by the governor. Finally, in 1919 legislation was passed creating the Oklahoma Library Commission. At that time, only twenty-five of the seventy-seven counties had a ptiblic library, and over half of the state's population lived without library service. The commission's collection started with eight thotisand volumes from the ALA that had been part of World War I camp libraries. By the end of 1936, the collection had grown to over seventy-three thousand volumes.'* Part of the commission's charge was to help establish libraries in tbe state, operate traveling libraries, disseminate information through lists and circulars, and conduct library instruction summer schools, v^dth the belief that raising standards of librarianship would heighten reading standards. When libraries across the state experienced budget cuts, librarians and patrons turned to the commission for library service.

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