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MBLC Celebrates 125 Years

1959

Children of Milton showcase the tiles they decorated for the town's public library

"Operation Tiles" - The Milton Public Library's walls feature tiles drawn by the community's children.1


TODAY: In order to participate in the State Aid to Public Libraries program, libraries must extend privileges to holders of cards issued by other certified public libraries (M.G.L. Chapter 78, section 19B[6]; 605 CMR 4.01 [6]).
In 1959: Dorothy Nyren, librarian at the the Concord Free Public Library, sent surveys to 50 libraries to ascertain how similar size libraries handled non-resident use.

Of those responding, almost 25% didn’t know. Ten indicated no charge was made for an out-of-town library card and 25 indicated various fees, ranging from fifty cents to five dollars. One charged the current per capita cost.2

What else happened in 1959?

  • Alaska became the 49th state on January 3rd, and Hawaii became the 50th state on August 21st.3
  • February 16: Fidel Castro became Prime Minister of Cuba, the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere, after leading an overthrow of the military dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.4
  • Barbie dolls were introduced to a skeptical toy industry at the New York Toy Fair. The original Barbie retailed for $3.5
  • June 26: President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth II presided over a ceremony opening the St. Lawrence Seaway.6

References:
1. Bay State Librarian (Bulletin of the Massachusetts Library Association), Winter 1959.
2. Bay State Librarian (Bulletin of the Massachusetts Library Association), Spring 1959.
3. www.thepeoplehistory.com [link].
4. www.pbs.org [link].
5. www.barbiemedia.com [link].
6. www.history.com [link].