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Wayne Wiegand, Scholar and Library Historian, Coming to Live! From the Library
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By Susan Moon, Executive Director of Walnut Creek Library Foundation
Live! from the Library will host Wayne Wiegand, PhD, in a presentation titled "Part of Our Lives", taken from his 2015 landmark book, "Part of Our Lives, A People’s History of the American Public Library", on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, 7:00- 8:30 p.m., in the Oak View Room at the Walnut Creek Library, 1644 N. Broadway. This free program is sponsored by the Walnut Creek Library Foundation and is open to the public. RSVPs can be made online at www.wclibrary.org/live or by phone at 925.935.5395.
Wayne. A. Wiegand will speak on January 15 at the Walnut Creek Library
In "Part of Our Lives", Dr. Wiegand delves into the history and heart of why Americans love their libraries. For many, the public library’s most important function is to provide commonplace reading materials and public space. Beyond that, Dr. Wiegand suggests a professional ethos about public libraries and their responsibilities to fight censorship and defend intellectual freedom, and demonstrates that the American public library has been (with notable exceptions) a place that has welcomed newcomers, accepted diversity, and constructed community since the late 19th century.
Often referred to as the “Dean of American Library Historians,” Dr. Wiegand is Florida State University F. William Summers Emeritus Professor of Library and Information Studies. He received a BA in history at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, an MA in history at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a Master of Library Science at Western Michigan University, and a PhD in history at Southern Illinois University. A Walnut Creek resident, Dr. Wiegand is the author of nine books and more than one hundred scholarly articles. He served as a historical consultant for Free for All, a documentary on the American public library that will be released in 2020, and is currently working on a history of American public school librarianship.
Live! from the Library, produced by the Walnut Creek Library Foundation, features free public lectures, literary events, and cultural programs at the Walnut Creek and Ygnacio Valley libraries. Program sponsors are East Bay Times, Friends of the Walnut Creek Library, and Minuteman Press Lafayette.
2020 will be a banner year for Walnut Creek’s libraries as each celebrates a milestone: the 10th anniversary of the Walnut Creek Library, and the 45th anniversary of the Ygnacio Valley Library. The Walnut Creek Library Foundation is planning a special community celebration later this year.
For more information about Walnut Creek Library Foundation programs, please visit www.wclibrary.org or call 925.935.5395.
