By Sheldon Greaves
The week before last I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Megan Prelinger, who with her partner Rick took their personal libraries that had grown too big to manage, and turned them into a DIY public library in the heart of downtown San Francisco. That was in 2004. Fifteen years later, the Prelinger Library is still going strong; a remarkable example of carving out an island of culture for local learners and scholars.
I am a day late with this, but I want to make readers aware of a PBS Newshour Weekend presentation about the film archive hosted at the Prelinger, largely the work of Rick and was a project that pre-dated the library proper.
But the story of how Megan and Rick got their library going is truly remarkable and inspiring. I am still processing my notes from our interview, some of which I hope to post here in the not-too-distant future. Suffice to say that it took a lot of hard work, an enthusiastic community of friends and supporters, and a dash of luck. One thing I do want to relay from our conversation was the answer to my question, “Could someone create something like the Prelinger today?” Megan answered firmly in the affirmative. Details to follow.
Meanwhile, the bulk of the Prelinger collection “…is primarily a collection of 19th and 20th century historical ephemera, periodicals, maps, and books, most published in the United States. Much of the collection is image-rich, and in the public domain. The library specializes in material that is not commonly found in other public libraries.” This is because the library functions as a sort of “no-kill shelter” for materials that other libraries no longer have space for, or that doesn’t fit into their collections. So, it gets sent to Prelinger where it finds a home among an ecclectic and eccentric body of materials that includes some real gems.
A personal example: last year was the centenary of the entry of the United States into World War I. Among the young Americans who fought in France under Pershing was my grandfather, Theoharis Georgios Grivos (left), a recent Greek immigrant. He served in the 4th Engineers with the 4th Infantry Division. I was doing some family history research and located some old film footage of Grandpa’s division
in France. Where do you suppose I found it? Yup… Prelinger Library. A few months ago a copy of the footage also turned up on YouTube:
As greater pressures come to bear learning and culture in public life, institutions like public libraries stand out as crucial “zones of intelligence” in an increasingly mindless world. What the Prelingers have done and and should be replicated in communities across the country.