CBS 58 Hometowns: History of the Milwaukee Public Library
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- CBS 58’s Hometown series is back with a new theme: "Hometowns History.” For the next several weeks, we’ll show you how some of the most emblematic features of southeast Wisconsin came to be. Montse Ricossa took us inside the iconic Milwaukee Public Library with a rich history and even more stories inside.
The Milwaukee Public Library started in 1847 thanks to a group called the Young Men’s Association, which was a subscription-based library. That lasted about 30 years before interest started to die down at the same time the city of Milwaukee was looking to start its own public library. Bob Jaeger, the manager of archives and special collections at the Milwaukee Public Library, explained more of the history, sharing that in 1878 the Young Men’s Association “donated their 10,000 books to the city and that formed the beginning collection of the library”.
If you’ve ever driven by the library or gone inside, you’ll know that the building’s architecture is one to admire. Jaeger says it’s “a neoclassical design…to represent a popular style at that time for libraries."
While the library has two levels open to the public, there are “multiple levels” below that are just for book storage, shares Jaeger.
How many books are in the Milwaukee Public Library’s Central Branch? Jaeger estimates “a couple million!" In fact, in 2024, over 1.1 million books were checked out.
From the newest books to the rarest, you can find it all at MPL. The oldest item in their archives is a page of the Vulgate Latin Bible from the year 1240. Jaeger says as the manager of archives and special collections, he gets to go through many of the older items. “I just really enjoy the older documents. I really think you become a part of their history… I think my favorite collection is our photograph collection, which has well over 25,000 images that show Milwaukee's history from the earliest days.”
Recently, many archives have become digitized, and you can find them online.
“The Milwaukee Public Library is firing on all cylinders. It has been for decades. There’s not really anything this library hasn’t done, including having a videotaped program that would air on PBS way back in the 70s," shares Joan Johnson, library director at the Milwaukee Public Library.
Technology has played a large factor in how the MPL, as many other libraries, have changed over the years. Jaeger and Johnson reminisced on the fact that before, patrons wouldn’t be able to walk through the library stacks and find their books. In its place, you’d have to look through a card catalog and ask a librarian for a book who would then go get it for you.
Now, you can walk through the library and enjoy a book inside the building, check it out, find your preferred book through the MPL app, or simply drive up to the pickup on the side of the building!
Another way to check out books that’s been growing in popularity is online. Johnson says electronic resources or downloadable content has seen a 10-15% increase year after year, reaching about half a million items in 2024! That accounts for eBooks, audiobooks, and more.
Anyone can enjoy the services at the Milwaukee Public Library, you don’t even need a library card! It’s not just books. either. Patrons can also borrow items including magazines, CDs, movies, and video games.
Other services offered by the MPL include classes, lectures, talks, author events, performances, gallery nights, and so much more. You can find those events here.
The Milwaukee Public Library, according to Johnson, “Brings so much culture. So much inspiration. We facilitate connections between people and communities. We provide a gathering space for people.”
There are various branches you can visit throughout Milwaukee. Find the closest to you here.