Pack Horse Librarians

"Giddyap, Chestnut," the woman urged her horse up the rocky hill. She patted a saddlebag filled with books and magazines. "Lots of people are still waiting for a library visit today."

The woman and her horse had begun their trip before sunrise. They had already stopped at a lonely little house in the woods, a crowded one-room schoolhouse with more students than chairs, and a windowless wood cabin where chickens roamed in the tidy fenced-in yard. They had ten more homes to visit and a long way to go between each stop.

Everywhere they went, the woman left a few books or magazines and picked up the ones she'd delivered two weeks ago. The books weren't new. They were old and tattered, and so were the magazines. But people were glad to get them.

From 1935 to 1943, librarians like this one traveled the mountains of eastern Kentucky on strong horses and mules. Times were hard then, and many people could not find jobs. Families had barely enough money to buy food and clothing. Schools could not afford to buy books. People lived far from towns and neighbors, and had no way to get things to read.

So Kentucky's pack horse librarians journeyed mile after mile across rough, rocky country. There were no roads for them to follow, just a few bumpy dirt paths. They went up and down steep hillsides and crossed through cold creeks and streams. Sometimes, when the ground was very slippery or uneven, they climbed off their horses and walked. They worked in the rain, snow, and blazing heat, bringing books to thousands of people who loved to read.

Copyright Carus Publishing Company Feb 2005
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved