Gratia Countryman

Title: Photograph of a Library Reading Room
Type: Photograph
Date: before 1912
Source: Minneapolis Public Library

Description: This photograph shows a reading room in the former Minneapolis City Hall. Countryman organized these reading rooms to encourage reading among the working classes by providing a location and books.

Activities:

1. What technology shown in this photograph might help you identify its time period?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The electric lights tell us that the time shown is after 1912.
2. What can the hats in this photograph tell us about men at this time?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: It appears that most of the men in the photograph wore hats into the building, but all of the men have removed them while inside. This can show us that hats were popular articles of clothing for men and we could assume that it was considered rude to wear the hats indoors.
3. What kinds of materials do you see the men reading?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: They are reading what appear to be books and newspapers.
4. How is this reading room different from your local public library?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: There are no large shelves of books in the reading room, and libraries today often include computers or card catalogs to help readers locate books. This room does not seem to have either of those features.