The Great Depression
Its Impact on Forty-Six Large American Public Libraries, an Analysis of Published Writings of Their Directors
Author: Robert Scott Kramp
Price: $25
Published: May 2010
ISBN: 978-1-936117-02-4
156 pages
This 1975 dissertation used content analysis to study the impact of the Great Depression on large American public libraries from 1930 to 1940. Areas studied were the depression’s effect on library internal operations, library services, and library directors’ attitudes toward the libraries and the public. Particular attention is paid to the depression-related ideas of the thirteen directors who contributed the largest amount of material to the universe.
In general, the study found that (1) the depression affected library services, operations, and policies; (2) library directors adjusted services, operations, and policies to meet changing conditions and adapt to fluctuating revenues; and (3) to a limited extent, that library-oriented activities of the state and federal governments elicited director reactions.
The study concluded that measurable relationships could be found between economic data, library statistics, and director discussions.
Appendices
Appendix I – Primary Sources
Appendix I A – List of Libraries With Directors Who Served in the Years 1930-1940
Appendix I B – List of Librarian Authors
Appendix I C – Annual Reports
Appendix I D – Articles by Librarian Authors
Appendix II – Materials Related to Content Analysis
Appendix II A – List of Categories
Appendix II B – Coding Form
Appendix III – Charts
Appendix III
Appendix IV – Results of Analysis
Appendix IV A – Category by Author
Appendix IV B – Author by Year
Appendix IV C – Category by Year
Appendix IV D – Distribution of Discussions
Appendix IV E – Reliability