Underfunded and Outshone: The Library Profession at ‘A Century of Progress’ International Exposition, Chicago, 1933–1934

Abstract

‘A Century of Progress’ international exposition was a celebration of science, and its role in improving daily life, staged in 1933, the low point of the Great Depression. The leading exhibits represented large corporations or governments, but there were some library-related exhibits at the fair. This paper examines the exhibits staged or planned by the American Library Association, the Library of Congress, and Time, Incorporated. Unlike Time, Inc., the American Library Association and the Library of Congress were both hampered by a lack of funds. The two library organizations also failed to find a way to incorporate the theme of scientific progress in their exhibits, whereas Time, Inc. succeeded in using a library as an advertisement for its so-called invention, the weekly news magazine.