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A pack horse librarian delivering books in rural Kentucky in 1938. During the Great Depression, the Pack Horse Library Project was a Works Progress Administration (WPA) program in which the librarians, who were often called "book women" or "book ladies," delivered books to remote parts of Appalachia.

source: https://www.facebook.com/GoodwillLibrarian

#books #library #PublicWorks #WPA #reading #bookstodon @bookstodon

Goodwill Librarian

Goodwill Librarian. 1,355,796 likes · 59,262 talking about this. Blessed, stressed and book obsessed! Fun and entertaining posts featuring all things books!
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in reply to René Merced :vm: 🇵🇷

Barbara Monaco
Barbara Monaco
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These women were dedicated and very brave. Appalachia's rough terrain and extremes of weather were a huge challenge, but book women persevered.

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in reply to René Merced :vm: 🇵🇷

Snozzedandlost
Snozzedandlost
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Wow! Funny I should happen across this post I happen to be reading The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes which is about a group of book women. So far it is excellent

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in reply to René Merced :vm: 🇵🇷

Rachel Greenham
Rachel Greenham
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@Barbramon1 Also see "Upright Women Wanted" by Sarah Gailey (who did turn up on Mastodon @gaileyfrey @Gaileyfrey@wandering.shop) but sadly doesn't appear to have stuck around. These, needed again in a future-patriarchic US that's all too plausible right now. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Upright-Women-Wanted-Sarah-Gailey-ebook/dp/B07R8PCFN2
@Barbara Monaco @gaileyfrey @Sarah Gailey

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in reply to Rachel Greenham

Barbara Monaco
Barbara Monaco
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@StrangeNoises @gaileyfrey@mastodon.social @Gaileyfrey@wandering.shop
I first learned about book women when I read "The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek". It's fiction, based on real events. Not exactly great literature, but interesting and informative history.
@Rachel Greenham @gaileyfrey @Sarah Gailey

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in reply to René Merced :vm: 🇵🇷

SewBlue
SewBlue
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I'm an engineer and that "foundation" is one of the most unnerving things I've ever seen.

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in reply to SewBlue

Jeremy Humphrey
Jeremy Humphrey
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@sewblue
It took me sec to realize you meant the house's foundation, I thought you meant an organization at first.
@SewBlue

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in reply to René Merced :vm: 🇵🇷

RDevine
RDevine
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I was pondering how influenced this might have been by the Edwardian Bluestockings. Turned up whilst googling that Kings College Cambridge ‘let’ women in, in the early 70s. So progressive of them.

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in reply to René Merced :vm: 🇵🇷

LisaBanana ⏚
LisaBanana ⏚
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have you heard of the (french) TTRPG Pack horse library by Leonard Chabert ? He collected a lot of historical information to create this game and its truly amazing.
https://leonard-chabert.itch.io/pack-horse-library

Pack Horse Library by Leonard Chabert

Des bibliothécaires à cheval dans l'Amérique des années 1930.
itch.io

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Lydia Schoch
Lydia Schoch
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@gargantua This is so cool. Thank you for sharing. What a wonderful thing they did.
@Hoople

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in reply to René Merced :vm: 🇵🇷

Arthur_500
Arthur_500
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In my neck of the woods, we have infromal Libraries located at bars and laundromats

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in reply to René Merced :vm: 🇵🇷

HuddledMass
HuddledMass
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Oh hey! In the mid-seventies I became the first bookmobile driver/librarian in Somerville, MA. Similar flavor, only urban…

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