Public Library Development in Milwaukee and Montreal

This project compares and contrasts public library§development in Montreal, Quebec, and Milwaukee,§Wisconsin. Specifically, it focuses on the§development of the Central Library in Montreal and§the Milwaukee Public Library. Increasing§urbanization, immigration, industrialization,§boosterism, and support for public education fueled§the discussion about library development in both§cities in the latter part of the nineteenth century.§ Religion and ethnicity played central roles in the§development of both libraries, and was especially§crucial, albeit in a detrimental fashion, in the case§of Montreal. The Milwaukee Public Library provides a§typical case study of a library that was established§at the height of the Public Library Movement, which§swept across much of North America around the turn of§the twentieth century. The development of the§Central Library in Montreal, however, was seriously§delayed. Furthermore, funding for the Central Library§in Montreal, and support for public libraries in§Quebec generally, lagged behind the rest of North§America throughout the last century. By examining§the typical case of Milwaukee, the uniqueness of§Montreal s situation can be appreciated.