Thursday, November 20, 2008

Libraries and the Mail

Libraries, history, and philately have been a part of my life since childhood, but only in the last 13 years have they become intertwined in a way that they are a major part of my life. Some would say they have become an obsession. I wrote about their impact on my life in an article for American Libraries' CentenniAL Blog in 2007. My interests in philately and library history have continued to reinforce each other. What began as an interesting childhood hobby has become a serious interest in the inter-relationship between libraries and the mail. If picture postcards are excluded, my collection of postal artifacts related to libraries, which I refer to as postal librariana, is probably the largest collection of such material in the world. A significant section of my Library History Buff website is devoted to postal librariana. Each month for the website I post a "Library Cover Story" which features one of my library envelopes or postal cards (covers). The archives for this feature for 2008 are located here and the archives for 2007 are located here. One of the most interesting and enjoyable aspects of my interest in postal librariana has been the development and display of philatelic exhibits relating to this topic in major stamp shows around the country. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of this week, may latest exhibit "The Evolution of the American Public Library" will be on display at Chicagopex, the major Chicagoland stamp show. Details of the show are located here. More information on my exhibit is located here.

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