The Emilie Loring Collection

I got my first library card at the Tempe Public Library, on the corner of 5th and Myrtle. I remember entering that evening with my family, selecting my first books, and celebrating at Dairy Queen afterwards. In a family of readers, it was a rite of passage.

At right and left of the fireplace rose tier upon tier of books. On one side was her grandfather’s library. Sets of Dickens, Thackeray, Macaulay, Irving, Parkman. She smiled as her eyes rested on the Cadell edition of Scott. The Solitary Horseman

Books, no end of them, covered two sides of the room from ceiling to floor. Gay Courage

“Everything is in place except the books. I didn’t dare start unpacking those for fear one might open and I would stop to read a page or two. I’m a book addict.” Hilltops Clear

Emilie’s first public library was the old Boston Public Library across from the Boston Common on Beacon Street. I wonder if early records exist to show what she read. When her family moved to the Cape in 1889, their library was in Barnstable, the Sturgis Public Library, and we’ve seen some of the books that the Bakers checked out that summer: “Discover 1889 Summer Reading.” In 1895, the “new” Boston Public Library opened at its present location.

Two hours later, seated at one of the tables in Bates Hall in the Boston Public Library, she snapped the rubber band about her notebook and for the first time since she had sat down regarded other persons at the table under the green-shaded lights. As Long As I Live

Emilie Loring’s “home library” became the Boston Athenaeum, where she wrote each weekday for more than twenty years. It’s a reverent place, steeped in history and art, but with large, clear workspaces for readers to start fresh and think new thoughts for the day.

I could wax poetic about the many atmospheres to be enjoyed in libraries. The Suzallo Library at the University of Washington is grand and Gothic while the public libraries in Blue Hill and Ellsworth, Maine are cozy and homelike. Carleton College’s Gould Library (Northfield, Minnesota) upends the traditional “SShhh” with this poster at its entrance. I love a library with a sense of humor!

The Muehl Public Library in tiny Seymour, Wisconsin, caps off its summer reading program with a sleepover for the children’s stuffed animals, hosts a crochet quilting group and, as you can see, has terrific book talks!

Library of Congress

And of course, there is the nation’s library, the grandmother of them all, the Library of Congress. With over twenty million catalog records, the “LOC” collections are simply amazing. This is the only place that I have found a copy of The Mother in the Home, Emilie Loring’s (aka Josephine Story) second book. Happy Landings: Emilie Loring’s Life, Writing, and Wisdom has a home here, too, but it’s stored offsite, so you have to ask for it at the reading room. It’s a good thing you have your own copy! 😉

From home, I often use the LOC digital newspaper and map collections, which, like the rest of the library, are free to use, no membership required. Emilie was born in 1866 and lived on Chardon Street, which no longer exists. This 1867 Sanborn map shows that location (yellow star) and where she later lived, on Chestnut Street (green star).

Censorship

Emilie’s generation of authors had to contend with the New England Watch and Ward Society. Since the late 1800s, the group had banned books that stepped outside its narrow bounds–although the very fact that a book was “Banned in Boston” often increased its popularity elsewhere.

The Boston Authors Club stood in opposition and staunchly defended freedom of the press. Censorship, they said, not books, should be censored.

From Happy Landings: Emilie Loring’s Life, Writing, and Wisdom:

Emilie Loring was not a boundary pusher, but neither was she a prude or ignorant of contemporary society. Her books had already broken with three stipulations of the censorship code.

According to the guidelines, all crime had to be punished, and the criminal could not be portrayed sympathetically, but Millicent Hale (Lighted Windows) kills her husband, and the authorities agree it is only a tragic mistake. Authority had to be treated with respect, and clergy could not be made to look ridiculous or villainous, but Luther Calvin was portrayed as both in Swift Water. Scenes with real or suggested nudity were prohibited, but Julie Lorraine (Here Comes the Sun!) removes her wet dress and sits companionably with Jim Trafford, wearing only a borrowed robe and slippers, just minutes after first setting eyes on him. Now, Uncharted Seas touched on the banned topic of suicide.

Given her family history, this was no surprise. After all, her grandfather Albert Baker became a printer when speaking out in the press was still a dangerous thing to do. Some published anonymously to avoid retribution but not Albert Baker. Every place that his name was listed, whether others did or not, he entered, “Albert Baker, Printer.”

American Library Association

Emilie was ten when the American Library Association was created “to enable librarians to do their present work more easily and at less expense.” One hundred fifty years later, the nonprofit ALA still helps our nation’s 125,000 libraries by publishing best practice guidelines, providing in-service training for librarians, reviewing new books on the market, and advocating for the work of libraries to support education, literacy, and intellectual freedom as a public good.

Libraries are among the most trusted institutions in a community, but they face an onslaught of current challenges. These include bans on library materials and programming, funding cuts, and even threats to the safety of librarians and the collections entrusted to their care.

Penguin Random House offered a line of clothing for sale this week that celebrates the right to read. All profits from the “Reading is a Right” collection will go to the American Library Association.

There is a lot that we can do for our libraries. First, show up. Read the books, attend the programs, and donate used books to the annual sale. Get to know our librarians. If we need to find something, they are an invaluable resource!

This link shares additional ways that we can help in the current climate: Show Up For Our Libraries One of the attractive options is to simply share stories about our experiences in the library. Let’s not take them for granted; as go the libraries, so go we.

Happy Landings and Happy Reading!