A Tale of Two Cities: Public Library Development in Milwaukee and Montreal

This dissertation compares and contrasts public library development in Montreal, Quebec, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Specifically, it focuses on the development of the Central Library in Montreal and the Milwaukee Public Library. Increasing urbanization, immigration, industrialization, boosterism, and support for public education fueled the discussion about library development in both cities in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Religion and ethnicity played central roles in the development of both libraries, and was especially crucial, albeit in a detrimental fashion, in the case of Montreal. The Milwaukee Public Library provides a typical case study of a library that was established at the height of the Public Library Movement, which swept across much of North America around the turn of the twentieth century. The development of the Central Library in Montreal, however, was seriously delayed. Furthermore, funding for the Central Library in Montreal, and support for public libraries in Quebec generally, lagged behind the rest of North America throughout the last century. By examining the typical case of Milwaukee, the uniqueness of Montreal's situation can be appreciated.