Overcoming Information Overload in the Early 20th Century

Photo by Jet Lowe,1995. Library of Congress.

A recent Slate article dove into the innovative ways one company revolutionized libraries by just changing its shelving. Accelerated growth of libraries and literacy initiatives in the beginning of the 1900s put a strain on libraries and their collections. Previously, libraries stored their collections on regular, fixed wooden shelving but it was becoming clear that the rapid growth of printed information and library usage were going to overpower the stacks. However, one company from Louisville, Kentucky had a plan.
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