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MBLC Celebrates 125 Years

1971

The Babson Library at Springfield College

Babson Library, Springfield College
(Image from Digital Commonwealth collections)


The MBLC was cutting edge in 1971. We found this in the April 1971 newsletter:

Clipping from 1971 MBLC newsletter, reads Title Twitters: Everything You Always Wanted to Know about the Sensuous Woman's Love Story

The Library Services and Construction Act (amended in 1970) required that the State Advisory Council on Libraries (SACL) be established with the goal to "[broadly represent]... public, school, academic, special, and institutional libraries and libraries serving the handicapped in the state, and of the users of such libraries including disadvantaged persons. The council shall advise on policy matters arising in the administration of the State Plan and assist with both the annual and long range programs for library services within Massachusetts."1

Statistics in 1970/1971
373 reports were received, out of 385 public libraries located in the 345 cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth with local public libraries.1

Total public library income (excluding capital outlay items) $31,340,523
Statewide per capita library income $5.50
Expenditures for salaries $21,788,869
Expended for books and related library materials $5,298,481
Statewide per capita expenditure for books and related library materials $.93
Statewide book circulation 34,844,291
Statewide per capita book circulation 6.11

What else happened in 1971?

  • The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled on April 20 that busing of students may be ordered to achieve racial desegregation.
  • On March 23, 1971 a proposal to extend the right to vote to citizens eighteen years of age and older was adopted by both houses of Congress and sent to the states for ratification. The amendment became part of the Constitution on July 1, 1971, three months and eight days after the amendment was submitted to the states for ratification, making this amendment the quickest to be ratified.
  • A gallon of milk in 1971 cost $1.18.
  • All in the Family debuted on CBS, introducing a trend in socially conscious programming.
  • Jim Morrison died in Paris at age 27 on July 3, 1971.

References:
1. MBLC newsletter, July 1971.
2. www.infoplease.com [link].
3. www.1970sflashback.com [link].