Some facets of American history are heavily romanticized, and some are unjustly forgotten. For example, mention of the Pony Express conjures images of daring men racing westward, braving the elements to deliver important messages and join the two coasts of America. In actuality, this male-driven, short-lived business venture lasted a mere 18 months and served only the wealthy. Infinitely cooler and yet barely remembered are the horseback librarians (know colloquially as “book women”) who braved long, treacherous mountain routes to deliver books to the poverty-stricken Appalachian community during the Great Depression.
The Great Depression was hard on all Americans, but perhaps none more so than the people of eastern Kentucky, which already lagged behind most of America in infrastructure, technology, education and economic opportunity. With an illiteracy rate of 31% in 1930 and a book circulation rate of 1 book per capita, the deck was stacked against them. In an attempt to boost economic opportunity, President Roosevelt established a set of initiatives called the New Deal program. Improving literacy and access to library materials in eastern Kentucky became a priority, and everyone knows that librarians are the first people you call to enact radical social change. The Pack Horse Library Initiative enlisted rural Kentucky’s librarians to deliver materials to geographically isolated citizens. These librarians would load their saddlebags (or pillowcases) with up to one hundred books and then ride their horses and mules throughout the mountains, covering 100-120 miles per week. Conditions were treacherous, often with no trails, frozen rivers, and inclines impossible for the horses to cover (in which case, the librarians would take the books and finish the route on foot). One librarian’s mule died, so she hiked her 18-mile route with the saddlebags in tow.
Many of the more isolated families were wary of the librarians, as they were strangers approaching with strange books. The librarians would often win their trust by reading the Bible, a text to which many religious individuals did not have access. Illustrated books were popular, as many people were still illiterate. Literate children would frequently teach their parents how to read. Mark Twain and “Robinson Crusoe” were popular choices as well. Citizens across America donated books to bolster the collection, and local facilities such as post offices and churches volunteered space to be used as library outposts.
The program ended in 1943 when funding ceased, but by 1946 motorized book mobiles were coming into use. Bookmobiles are now a staple in delivering library materials. Still, the use of animals to deliver library materials continues in some parts of the world. Thailand utilizes elephants, and Kenya has a camel library. Biblioburros are used in Colombia and one man in Indonesia has been hailed as “the Don Quixote of literacy” (the highest imaginable compliment, in my opinion) for delivering materials on horseback.
Though not as commonly known as, say, the Pony Express, this chapter in American history is commemorated in children’s books such as “That Book Woman.” If you are interested in learning more about these amazing librarians, Smithsonian Magazine has an excellent article on the topic which informed much of this post. Also, this short NPR interview features an an actual pack horse librarian.
We may not have a mule or an elephant (yet), but DBRL currently boasts two bookmobiles and a book bike, all designed to reach as many patrons as possible. Though admittedly less hardcore than these brave “book women,” their dedication to making information accessible to everyone lives on.
