American Sunday-School Libraries in the 19th century

摘要

cqvip:American Sunday-school libraries in the 19th century,as an activity of Protestant Christian missions,provided Christian and moral education for children.They were established in the early 19th century and became the main channel for the dissemination of religious literature and children’s books in the United States around 1850.After 1880,they gradually declined.As an important library type before the rise of public libraries,their aims,functions and contributions need to be investigated carefully in order to promote the research of American library history and comparative librarianship.In Sunday-school libraries for children,most of the books changed from Christian literature to secular works.The classifications and catalogs were inconsistent because they were newly developed,there were strict regulations on reader’s services,and most Sunday-school libraries adopted a close-stack approach.They were the first to provide free access to children and acted as the forerunner of children’s libraries.They helped children form the habit of reading and advanced education in the US.They broke free from the barriers of class,race and gender,and promoted the ideas of democracy,equality and inclusiveness through the library services.They were widespread in the US and laid the foundation for US rural libraries.