Books to the people... by any means necessary

Between 1935 and 1943, the WPA brought millions of books to the people...

By rowboat...

(WPA library services bringing books to tenant farmers in Issaquena County, Mississippi, ca. 1935-1943. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.)

By barge...

(A WPA library barge in Sunflower County, Mississippi, ca. 1935-1943. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.)

 By horseback...

(The now-famous packhorse librarians of Kentucky, 1938 - committed to getting books and information to remote, rural areas. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.)

By horse & wagon...

(WPA librarians in rural Mississippi, ca. 1935-1943. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.)

By Chevrolet...

(Happy to bring books to the citizens of North Carolina, 1938. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.)

By bookmobile...

 (Bookmobiles were a big attraction back in the day. This one is in Thurston County, Washington, 1939. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.)

By trailer...

(A WPA trailer full of books in Des Moines, Iowa, ca. 1935-1943. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.)

By hospital cart...

(A WPA librarian delivers books to hospital patients in Greenville, Mississippi, 1938. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.)

By reading to those who could not...

(A WPA packhorse librarian reads to a man who does not know how to read, in Leslie County, Kentucky, 1938. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.)

With new libraries...

(Williamsport, Maryland, 1937. WPA workers built 151 new libraries across the United States. Photo courtesy of the University of Maryland College Park Archives.)

With library repairs and improvements...

(A new roof for the "College Point branch of the Queens Library system," New York City, ca. 1935-1943. WPA workers repaired or improved 923 libraries across the country. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.)

With libraries in the streets... 

(WPA and New York City outdoor library, ca. 1935-1943. Across the U.S., WPA workers operated or assisted over 6,000 libraries. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.)

With story hours...

(WPA-supported story hour in Tuppers Plains, Ohio, ca. 1935-1943. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.)

With friendly persuasion...

(WPA poster. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.)

With book repairs...

(Some of the 500 women paid by the WPA to repair books in Michigan, ca. 1935-1943. Across the country, WPA workers repaired over 94 million books. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.)

With their own books...

(A page from the WPA-written and illustrated book, "The Making of America," Sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Department of Public Instruction, and published by Smith & Durrell, Inc., New York, 1942. The WPA wrote, compiled, or published well over 1,000 books, pamphlets, magazine articles, etc. Image scan from personal copy.)

And with special projects for people with special needs...

 (WPA workers constructing talking books, New York City, ca. 1935-1943, to be distributed to blind Americans all across the country. Project sponsored by the Library of Congress and supervised by the American Foundation for the Blind. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.)