This course will explore the history of the modern public library from the early nineteenth century through the present. Students will gain an enhanced appreciation for the role of the public library in a democratic society, as well as the ways in which the public library is a uniquely American invention.
Dr. Caroline Nappo is an independent scholar with interests in the history of libraries and information institutions, information as a public good, and the political economy of information. She has her M.S. and Ph.D. in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois.