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CONTRIBUTION TO LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT The focus on self discovery in most women’s clubs resulted in most clubs maintaining their own library collections for use by club members (Watson 1994, 235). As the clubs evolved the members began to focus on civic duty within their communities, and one of the first items on the club’s agendas were increasing use of libraries. Women’s clubs wanted to share their libraries with the community which led to the beginnings of travelling libraries. Travelling libraries were collections women’s clubs would share with other towns and communities that did not have libraries in their own towns. Women’s clubs circulated collections of materials through travelling libraries to communities without the means and resources to promote literacy. After the establishment of travelling libraries many women’s clubs turned to establishing public libraries within their own communities. Women’s clubs helped establish many public libraries by contributing collections, raising money, acting as librarians, cataloguing early collections, and other administrative activities.Watson 1994, 236 After the public libraries were established women’s clubs lobbied on behalf of the public libraries in state legislatures and also for gifts from the Carnegie Library Endowment.Watson 1994, 236 According to the American Library Association and GFWC women’s clubs are estimated to have started between 75 and 80 percent of public libraries in the United States.Scheer 2002, 525 NOTES REFERENCES
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