Posts Tagged ‘Clara Breed’

This is a book of defamation, of depravity, written by an atheistic, degenerate mind and yet it is honored with a place in Public Libraries.  —San Diego Patriotic Society, January 1963.

The issue of “banned books” has been with society for centuries. Here’s a story of how the San Diego Public Library coped with censorship in 1963. Read: The Last Temptation.

The building was populated with an amazing assortment of wildlife: squirrels, bees, doves, flies, lost cats and dogs, lizards, fleas, termites, spiders, and mice. None of these visitors could really be blamed on the proximity of the Zoo next door. The staff learned not to feed the squirrels, to administer soda and sympathy for bee stings, [and] to wield a well-aimed fly swatter . . . —Clara Breed, City Librarian.

Read here about The Library in Balboa Park

The Public Library in Balboa Park’s Food and Beverage Building, 1953.

For nearly fifty years the San Diego Public Library used bookmobiles to bring library service to greater San Diego. Elementary schools and shopping centers were regular stops for the library-on-wheels. Read more about the Bookmobiles.