This is an enjoyable book. I had requested an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) of Part of Our Lives: A People’s History of the American Public Library by Wayne A. Wiegand because I like libraries. I got the ARC from NetGalley and thank them for the chance to read this book on my Kindle before publication.

I claim neither special knowledge of nor interest in librarianship, just an interest as a library user and occasional supporter. I think I may be part of the target audience since the subtitle suggests this is a “people’s history” rather than one aimed primarily at professionals.

I can vouch for the fact that much of the book was interesting for this user. There is enough there that I believe the book would also be of interest to those with a more professional interest in libraries.

The book starts with the earliest libraries which were not like the public libraries of today. In America’s colonial days books were expensive and relatively rare. Early public libraries involved fees for membership (subscription libraries) and books did not circulate (social libraries). That is, you could read the books in the reading room of the public library but not take them home. Circulating libraries were often associated with various businesses which lent books for a fee.

This book covers both the evolution of these early institutions to the free public libraries and how these free public libraries changed over time. I will admit that some topics interested me more than others and some sections did get a more complete reading than others.

If you’d like to learn more about the American public library and how they have changed over the years, I’d recommend this book.