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Article
A Cultural Barometer: The St. Louis Mercantile Library as National Institution, 1846-1871
Missouri Historical Review
(2008)
Abstract
The St. Louis Mercantile Library, from its founding in 1846 to its 25th anniversary in 1871, demonstrated a growing influence on the local community and the national network of libraries and museums. Working from previously uncatalogued institutional archives, this paper argues for the library as a social, cultural, literary, and scientific institution of national standing, key to how St. Louis interests shaped their vision for the future.
Keywords
- Mercantile Library,
- St. Louis,
- membership,
- lecture,
- Civil War,
- memory
Disciplines
Publication Date
January, 2008
Publisher Statement
This article first appeared in the Missouri Historical Review 102 (January 2008): 88-102. For permission to reuse copyrighted content from the Missouri Historical Review, please access www.copyright.com or contact Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, telephone 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. Copyright Clearance Center is a not-for-profit organization that provides copyright licensing on behalf of The State Historical Society of Missouri.
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Citation Information
Adam Arenson. "A Cultural Barometer: The St. Louis Mercantile Library as National Institution, 1846-1871" Missouri Historical Review Vol. 102 Iss. 2 (2008) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/adam_arenson/3/