Reckless and Unwarranted Inferences: The US House Library Scandal of 1861
| Reference Type | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Year of Publication |
2011
|
| Author | |
| Journal |
Library and Information History
|
| Volume |
27
|
| Issue |
1
|
| Pagination |
3-16
|
| Language | |
| Download citation | |
| Region | |
| Library Type | |
| Chronological Period | |
| Abstract |
One hundred and fifty years ago, months before Lincoln was sworn in, an article in the New York Daily Times accused Southern congressmen of stealing books from the Library of Congress to start a library for the Confederacy. The House of Representatives launched an immediate investigation and discovered that the scene of the alleged crime was actually a much smaller library and the true culprit was bad management abetted by rumour mongering. |