In 1952, Ralph A. Ulveling, director, and Ruth Rutzen, home services director, of the Detroit Library, presented “Public Library Service in Madison, Wisconsin: A Survey for Madison Free Library.” The thirty-seven page report concludes with thirteen recommendations. The first two were:

1. Turn over to the Board of Education the administration, financing, staffing, etc. of school libraries.

2. Establish three new branches and operate a bookmobile.

Several programming and personnel recommendations followed, as well suggestions to consider establishing Friends of the Library and “changes to the Main Library building to make it more functional and to prepare it for increased usefulness to the community,” and altering the composition of the Library Board, its meetings and some of its practices.

The library did turn over the operation of the school libraries to the Board of Education, did acquire a bookmobile, within seven years had opened two new branches (Sequoya and Lakeview) and moved another (Hawthorne from Williamson/Sixth Ward) and Monroe Street was about to move to a permanent home. By 1959, the Mayor’s Committee on Library Needs had determined a South Side branch was needed as well. As for the main library, by1957, a firm had been hired to design a new one. Eight years later, it opened.

That this report changed the direction of the Madison Library is an understatement.

Sources: “Public Library Service in Madison, Wisconsin,” Ralph A. Ulveling and Ruth Rutzen. 1952.

“Mayor’s Committee on Library Needs,” August 12, 1959

Madison Library 1957 Annual Report