Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: Before Your Time
Episode: More than books
Description: Vermont's 183 public libraries are icons of the state's history. But they're also centers of civic engagement for modern cities and towns.
When most of these institutions were first built, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they had a simpler purpose. "It was bathrooms and books," says Bixby Memorial Library director Jane Spencer. Farmers would stop off to use the public restrooms on visits to town, and nearby residents would supplement their education by reading for pleasure.
Libraries were a common way for Vermonters who made fortunes out-of-state to honor their hometowns with function and sty...