Winter can be cold, damp and stormy for many people around the country. Can you imagine how chilly it would be riding a horse in the mountains of eastern Kentucky in the wintertime, delivering the books stored in your saddlebags to isolated homes across the region? That’s exactly what librarians did during the Great Depression, a difficult period in our history following the collapse of the stock market in 1929. The Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky--part of the WPA (Works Progress Administration) program created by the federal government in 1935--served residents of a state hit particularly hard when many coal mines were closed. Books were delivered by flatboat in parts of Mississippi and Louisiana as part of free public library services on the rise for rural communities across the nation. In eastern Kentucky, rough terrain and winding creek beds required navigating by horse; the courageous and determined women delivering materials were called “Pack Horse Librarians.”
Authors Kathi Appelt and Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer interviewed former pack horse librarian Grace Caudill Lucas and drew on the resources of numerous research libraries and historical societies to compile the riveting nonfiction book Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky. Stories and documentary photos of the mountainous routes librarians traveled and the homes they visited bring readers immediately into the experience. Librarians lived in the regions they served, establishing trusted relationships with the families and small schoolhouses that gladly received the precious books and tattered magazines. Upon occasion, a librarian could pause to read a book to listeners or receive a handful of walnuts or a handwritten recipe as a thank you. By and large her days were long and hard; energy came from knowing how much her services and supportive words meant to her patrons. Too, she looked forward to returning to her own family, rubbing down her horse, and having a hot meal at the end of her day before starting the next journey. Pack horse librarians earned $28 a month; daily trips were about eighteen miles long and librarians traveled fifty to eighty miles on horseback each week. Teams of librarians met regularly at a headquarters library to share information; they kept materials (all of which were donated) rotating among various locales. They endeavored to bring “just right” items to their patrons, knowing that the gifts of literacy and literature were precious. Childrens books were in great demand; sometimes children read them aloud to parents and grandparents who were not themselves able to read, contributing to an ever-expanding need for reading materials.
Pack horse library services ended in 1943; not until 1956 did the Library Services Act establish federal support for libraries generally, founding a valuable system of collections nationwide. There is no doubt that the determination of Kentucky pack horse librarians exemplified the value of unwavering support for libraries in our country. The next time you visit your school or public library, be sure to say “Thank you!” to the librarians who serve us so well! Ages 8-12. Purple House Press, 2019.
For younger readers, That Book Woman, written by Heather Henson and illustrated by David Small, provides a fictional glimpse of pack horse librarians through the eyes of young Cal. He is at first dubious about the value of learning to read but comes to admire the loyal librarian who rides in all weathers to bring his sister books. Once his older sister helps him learn to read, he decides it's okay! Ages 4-7. Atheneum books for Young Readers, 2008.
