“A Home-like Atmosphere”: The Advent of Children’s Rooms at St. Louis Public Library, 1906–1912

Most public libraries in the United States did not include collections, rooms, or librarians dedicated to work with children until the early twentieth century. The establishment of children’s rooms as a customary feature of U.S. public libraries coincided with bequests to public libraries by the Carnegie Corporation. One such library, St. Louis (Missouri) Public Library, provides an example of how large, urban library systems expanded to included neighborhood branches as well as a central branch building, all of which contained a purpose-built space for work with children. As branch buildings with children’s rooms emerged, so did the need for trained children’s librarians. Paradoxically, as soon as there were rooms dedicated to children, librarians extended their reach to municipal playgrounds, schools, and other venues outside of the library. Children’s librarians found themselves traversing a variety of spaces, serving a diverse population in multiple sites.