Reading Places: Literacy, Democracy, and the Public Library in Cold War America

Chapter 8: Winners and Losers: The Referendum and Its Aftermath

235 8 Winners and Losers: The Referendum and Its Aftermath E Those of you who have been here for the “duration” know something of the trials and tribulations, the unforeseen crises, and the element of real tragedy which have gone into this program. Regardless of what happens in November, we know that it has been good—we know that it has been successful even though the many elements constituting that success cannot be measured in dollars and cents. Anne Farrington, The Idea in Action How am I going to do this? You know, you don’t just go start a library by yourself. Gayle G. (interview) True to its determination to make the project a democratically based joint venture between the state and the local residents, the plan for the Regional Library Demonstration provided for voter feedback in the form of a referendum in the fall of 1952. Voters were asked to consider the question, “Shall Kewaunee [or Door] County continue to participate in the Door-Kewaunee Regional library or some similar library?”1 Although the results would be nonbinding, county supervisors were widely expected to base their decision about the library’s future on the referendum as a statement of the people’s will. Both before and after the referendum citizens debated their decision, articulating a variety of views about the value of books and reading. Results were different in each county, affecting the distribution of reading materials for decades to come. The project also had an influence beyond the Door Peninsula, 1 Algoma Record-Herald, 30 October 1952. 236฀ Winners and Losers: The Referendum and Its Aftermath in shaping legislation that would radically change the funding structures for public libraries in Wisconsin. In so doing, Wisconsin’s libraries joined a movement that was under way across the United States. Citizen Participation: The Referendum Recognizing the need to win over potentially reluctant voters and legislators , the WFLC used pamphlets, spots on local radio stations, and articles in newspapers and the state library literature to mount a sustained publicity campaign. The WFLC also sent out an evaluative questionnaire to gauge the reactions of local library boards. Replies seemed positive. A library board member wrote from Washington Island, “I am 100 percent in favor of the regional plan. Prior to it, the library service was extremely limited. We were only able to have our library open one day a week, and during January-February found it necessary to close completely.” By contrast, under the regional system, the library could be open three afternoons and evenings the year around.2 As the date for the referendum drew near, local newspapers lent their support. Arguing that voting for the library made fiscal sense, library staff wrote articles that spelled out the financial calculations: “An 80 acre farm valued at $8,625 . . . paid $3.66 in taxes. With five individuals in the average family it meant a charge of 73¢ per individual . Considering that a school age child used 27 books and each adult used 2 books, that would mean that 58 books were used per family. Dividing $3.66 by 58 meant that each book cost the family about 6.3 cents. The total value of the books used was $20.00.”3 Newspaper editors were careful not to sound too directive. “We have never felt that it is our job to tell you how to vote,” wrote the editors of the Kewaunee Enterprise. “It is our job to give you the facts, as clearly and unbiased as we are able to do so, and then it is YOUR job to sift them and determine for yourself what you feel is the right vote for you.” However, it was 2 The Idea in Action: A Report on the Door-Kewaunee Regional Library Demonstration, 1950–1952 (Madison : Wisconsin Free Library Commission, 1953), 19–20. 3 Luxemburg News, 30 October 1952. Winners and Losers: The Referendum and Its Aftermath฀ 237 clear where the newspaper’s sympathies lay. “To us, books have always been an important part of living. We would not care to live in a home without books or magazines, or in a town without a library. And we would like to see every child have a book whenever he shows a desire to read one—it is his contact with our country’s past, all the wonderful people who have made our country great come to us only through books.” Algoma...