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MBLC Celebrates 125 Years

1925

Newton Free Public Library and bookmobile, 1925

Newton Free Library branches & bookmobile. Newton, MA. Newton Lower Falls.
(Image from Digital Commonwealth collections)


Librarians have always been ready and willing to provide reference and bibliographic instruction for their patrons. The March 1925 issue of the Massachusetts Library Club Bulletin wrote about one particularly creative example:

"A series of crossword puzzles, made by George H. Evans, Librarian of the Somerville Public Library, is appearing in the weekly Somerville Herald. Mr. Evans has utilized this opportunity to do some educational work with the people at large by contributing with each puzzle a brief, readable article on some class of reference books, as dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc."1

Commissioners in 1925:

  • Charles F. D. Belden
  • Anna M. Bancroft
  • Elizabeth P. Sohier
  • Edward H. Redstone
  • Hiller C. Wellman2

New library buildings in 1925:

  • Agawam
  • Barnstable (West) - remodeled
  • Hancock
  • Harwichport
  • Plainville2

What else happened in 1925?

  • The decennial census of Massachusetts was taken. In 1925, the Commonwealth was home to 4,144,205 people3; the number was 6,745,408 as of 2014.4
  • January 5: Nellie Taylor Ross became governor of Wyoming - and the first female governor in the United States. Twelve days later, Ma Ferguson became the first female governor of Texas.5
  • April 10: F. Scott Fitzgerald published The Great Gatsby.5
  • May 5: Dayton, Tennessee biology teacher John Scopes was arrested for teaching Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.5
  • July 21: The aforementioned John Scopes was found guilty in his infamous trial and fined $100.5

References:
1. Massachusetts Library Club Bulletin, March 1925.
2. Annual Report of the Board of Free Public Library Commissioners for the Year Ending November 30, 1925.
3. "The decennial census, 1925." Issued by Secretary of the Commonwealth Frederic White Cook.
4. census.gov [link].
5. 1925 - Wikipedia entry [link].