PREFACE
The Louisville Free Public Library is the
descendant, the grandson, so to speak, of the
Public Library of Kentucky, whose launching was
financed by a lottery. That library of seventy
years ago flourished briefly before passing on.
its property to the Polytechnic Society of Ken-
tucky; this organization, in time, gave way to
the present institution.
The colorful stories surrounding the libra-
ry’s origin persuaded Harold F. Brigham, then
librarian ofthelmuisville Free Public Library,
that a history of thelibrary movementin Louis-
ville should be written and published. At his
request the Writers’ Project of the Work Proj-
ects Administration in Kentucky in 1940 began
preparation of such a history.
lt was written by the undersigned, with the
collaboration of Edward L. Kinkade. Other mem-
bers of the Writers’ Project staff who assisted
` materially in assembling data for the book were
Edward A. Jonas, Emmett V. Riggs, and Robert P.
Arnold.
We wish to acknowledge with gratitude the
interest and co-operation of the librarians of
the Louisville Free Public Library which made
completion of the book possible: Mr. Brigham,
whose advice, suggestions, and criticism while
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