Utilizing This New Medium of Mass Communication: The Regional Film Distribution Programme at the Cleveland Public Library, 1948–1951

ABSTRACT

In 1948, the Carnegie Corporation made grants of $25,000 to the Cleveland Public Library and $15,000 to the Missouri State Library to set up three-year regional educational film distribution programmes in northern Ohio and in Missouri of 16 mm reel-to-reel motion picture films. In Cleveland, films were distributed within a consortium of ten library systems in the region; twenty library systems participated in Missouri. These successful programmes served as models for other library systems and lasted well into the last quarter of the twentieth century, when 16 mm reel-to-reel motion picture films in libraries were replaced with videocassettes and later DVDs and the programmes were no longer necessary. This paper explores the antecedents of the programme at the Cleveland Public Library as well as the careers of the two women, Patricia Blair and Virginia Beard, who were responsible for the design of the programme and for its success. Both became nationally recognized experts on the use of 16 mm films in public libraries and rose to national prominence in the American Library Association.

KEYWORDS:

• public libraries
• motion picture
• educational films
• documentary films
• audiovisual materials

Notes

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9. Ibid., 3.

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11. J. Horne, “A History Long Overdue: The Public Library and Motion Pictures”, in Useful Cinema, ed. Charles R. Acland and Haidee Wasson (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2011), 153.

12. Ibid., 152.

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18. Horne, 159–61, 165–66; Rossi-Snook, 10; Sigler, 11; Sheehy, 8.

19. Horne, 166–67; Sigler, 9–10.

20. Horne, 169–70; Sigler, 10–11.

21. Horne, 172; Palmer, 325–26; Sigler, 11.

22. C. P. Gilman, “Public Library Motion Pictures”, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 128 (November 1926): 144.

23. Ibid., 145.

24. F. B. Roberts, “Kalamazoo's Work With Films”, ALA Bulletin 34, no. 8 (September 1, 1940): 463–64; Rossi-Snook, 9; Sigler, 11.

25. R. D. Hemens, “Educational Films”, in The Role of the Library in Adult Education: Papers Presented Before the Library Institute at the University of Chicago, August 1–13, 1937, ed. Louis R. Wilson (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1937), 267–73.

26. Rossi-Snook, 11; Sigler, 13.

27. P. O. Blair, “Films in Public Libraries: A Review of Progress to Date”, See and Hear 5 (January 1950): 43; H. R. Galvin, “An Educational Film Service Is the Library's Responsibility”, Library Journal 69 (August 1944): 637–38; B. Landers, “Information by the Eye Route: Texas War Film Program”, Library Journal 68 (15 June 1943): 524–25; Palmer, 327–28; Rossi-Snook, 12; Sigler, 12–13.

28. Galvin, “An Educational Film Service”, 637.

29. G. Burch, “Your Patrons Need Films”, Library Journal 74 (March 15, 1949): 413.

30. Palmer, 328; Rossi-Snook, 12; Sigler, 13.

31. Making Films Work for Your Community: A Handbook on How to Use Educational Films in the Community (New York: Educational Film Library Association, 1946).

32. Galvin, “An Educational Film Service”, 637.

33. Ibid., 638.

34. H. R. Galvin, Films in Public Libraries: A Project of the Audio-Visual Committee of the American Library Association (New York: Bowker, 1947).

35. Palmer, 330; Rossi-Snook, 14; Sigler, 14.

36. Sigler, 15.

37. P. O. Blair, “Library Film Adviser”, ALA Bulletin 42, no. 1 (October 15, 1948): 474–77; Rossi-Snook, 16; Sigler, 15–16.

38. Burch, 417.

39. P. O. Blair, “Films in Public Libraries”, in Ideas on Film: A Handbook for the 16 mm. Film User, ed. Cecile Starr (New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1951), 112.

40. Ibid., 115.

41. K. F. Gracy, “See the Movie, Read the Book! Cleveland Public Library's Bookmarks Programme, 1923–1972”, Library & Information History.

42. C. H. Cramer, Open Shelves and Open Minds: A History of the Cleveland Public Library (Cleveland: Case Western Reserve University Press, 1972), 150.

43. Cleveland Public Library Archives, Cleveland Public Library Annual Reports, Director's Reports, Condensed Director's Report, 1942–43.

44. V. M. Beard, “The Saga of a Public Library Film Bureau”, Film News 10 (October 1950): 8.

45. J. H. Crowley to C. S. Metcalf, January 18, 1942, CPLA, Cleveland Public Library Films Department.

46. CPLA, Cleveland Public Library Board, Proceedings, Minutes, 1942, 4.

47. Palmer, 328; Rossi-Snook, 12; Sigler, 13.

48. Who's Who in Library Service: A Biographical Directory of Professional Librarians in the United States and Canada, ed. L. Ash (Hamden, CT: Shoe String Press, 1966), 135.

49. “Mrs. Vachel Lindsay Blair”, Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 12, 1942.

50. “Vachel L. Blair Memorial”, CPLA, Staff Biographical Information on Pages Who Worked at Cleveland Public Library, 1916–1960s.

51. CPLA, Cleveland Public Library Board Minutes, 1943, 66.

52. CPLA, Cleveland Public Library Film Bureau, Annual Report, January 1–December 31, 1943, 2.

53. Beard, “The Saga”, 9.

54. CPLA, Cleveland Public Library Film Bureau, Annual Report (January 1–December 31, 1943), 6.

55. CPLA, Cleveland Public Library Film Bureau, The Lending Policies and Procedures (n.d.), 2.

56. “Cleveland Library Film Bureau Held ‘Best in Country’”, Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 10, 1944.

57. Beard, “The Saga”, 9.

58. Ibid.

59. CPLA, Cleveland Public Library Adult Education Department, Annual Report (1945), 2–3.

60. Ibid., 3.

61. Ibid.

62. Ibid., 2.

63. “Vachel L. Blair Memorial”.

64. Making Films Work for Your Community, 25–29.

65. P. O. Blair, “Which of the Free Films Really Offer ‘Something for Nothing’?”, Library Journal 72 (May 15, 1947): 791–93, 826.

66. P. O. Blair, “Libraries Meet a New Responsibility”, Educational Screen 27, no. 6 (June 1948): 268.

67. CPLA, Cleveland Public Library Board Minutes, 1946, 95.

68. Who's Who in Library Service: A Biographical Directory of Professional Librarians of the United States and Canada, 3rd ed., ed. D. E. Cole (New York: Grolier, 1955), 29.

69. “Virginia Beard Dies, With Library 47 Years”, Cleveland Press, August 8, 1974.

70. Who's Who, 3rd ed.; Staff Notice, August 6, 1974, CPLA, Cleveland Public Library Staff File.

71. CPLA, Cleveland Public Library Annual Reports, Adult Education Department, 1947, 3.

72. Ibid.

73. CPLA, Cleveland Public Library, Film Catalogs.

74. CPLA, Cleveland Public Library Annual Reports, Adult Education Department, 1947, 3.

75. Ibid.

76. Beard, “The Saga”, 9.

77. P. B. Cory, “From Start Till Now”, Film News 23 no. 3 (1966): 5.

78. F. Anderson to M. D. Wolcott, September 12, 1973, Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Carnegie Corporation of New York Records, 1872–2000 (CCNYR).

79. C. D. Metcalf to F. Anderson, April 13, 1948, CCNYR.

80. V. M. Beard to E. G. Moore, November 3, 1948, CCNYR.

81. V. M. Beard, “Cleveland Heads 1st Film Circuit”, Library Journal 74 (March 15, 1949): 419.

82. Ibid.

83. Ibid., 418.

84. Ibid.

85. CPLA, Cleveland Public Library Board Minutes, February 16, 1948.

86. CPLA, Cleveland Public Library Board Minutes, April 20, 1949.

87. Burch, 414.

88. P. O. Blair, “ALA's Four-Year Film Project”, Educational Screen 30, no. 6 (June 1951): 222–24.

89. P. O. Blair, “Film: A New Field to Conquer”, Library Journal 69 (October 1, 1944): 802–04; P. O. Blair, “Treatment, Storage and Handling of Motion Picture Film”, Library Journal 71 (March 1, 1946): 333–36; P. O. Blair, “What Constitutes Quality in Film?”, in Making Films Work in Your Community, 25–29.

90. CPLA, Cleveland Public Library Annual Reports, Adult Education Department, 1948, 5.

91. Sigler, 15.

92. Ibid., 16.

93. R. C. Lindquist to F. Anderson, November 8, 1955, CCNYR.

94. M. D. Wolcott to F. Anderson, September 27, 1973, CCNYR.

95. P. J. Eyerdam, former chair of Cleveland State University Film Team, email message to author, January 6, 2010.

96. “Florence Anderson”, New York Times, December 20, 1985; “Investing in America's Cultural Education”, Carnegie Reporter 6, no. 1 (Fall 2010). http://carnegie.org/publications/carnegie-reporter/single/view/article/item/265/ (accessed October 29, 2016).

97. V. M. Beard to F. Anderson, October 11, 1947, CCNYR.

98. F. Anderson to V. M. Beard, October 20, 1947, CCNYR.

99. F. Anderson to P. O. Blair, April 16, 1948, CCNYR.

100. P. O. Blair to F. Anderson, January 17, 1949, CCNYR.

101. V. M. Beard to F. Anderson, June 22, 1948, CCNYR.

102. V. M. Beard to F. Anderson, June 28, 1948, CCNYR.

103. V. M. Beard to F. Anderson, July 23, 1948, CCNYR.

104. “Bertha M. Landers (AM. 1911–1996)”, David Dike Fine Art. http://www.daviddikefineart.com/artists/123-landers-bertha.html (accessed October 29, 2016); “Landers, Bertha Mae: American, 1911–1996: Works of Art”, National Gallery of Art. http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/artist-info.33677.html (accessed October 29, 2016).

105. Sheehy, 9.

106. “Vachel L. Blair Memorial”.

107. V. M. Beard to F. Anderson, September 27, 1949, CCNYR.

108. F. Anderson to V. M. Beard, October 4, 1949, CCNYR.

109. V. M. Beard to F. Anderson, April 11, 1956, CCNYR.

110. P. Sullivan, “Cory, John Mackenzie, 1914–1988”, in Dictionary of American Library Biography, Second Supplement, ed. Donald G. Davis (Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2003), 55–58.

111. P. B. Cory, School Library Services for Deaf Children (Washington, DC: Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf, 1960).

112. Ibid., 122.

113. CPLA, Cleveland Public Library Clipping File, Ash.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Suzanne Stauffer

Suzanne M. Stauffer is an associate professor of Library and Information Science at Louisiana State University, where she has been since 2006. She earned an MLS from Brigham Young University in 1986 and a PhD in library and information science from UCLA in 2004. Her areas of research are print culture in America, including the history of the American public and school library as a social and cultural institution and the history of children's services in public libraries, the history of the professionalization of librarianship, and the history of education for librarianship.