The only comprehensive treatment of American library architecture, this work details the evolution of the modern public library from 1850 to the present. Donald E. Oehlerts provides a broad, historical perspective of the field of library architecture, examining the influences on the professions of public architecture and librarianship that shaped America's library buildings.

Oehlerts examines the planning and construction of the largest public library buildings from 1850 through 1989, presenting the contributions that architects, librarians, and others have made to improvements in...