How can you deliver library books to remote parts of the country? In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, jobless Americans in isolated regions of Kentucky relied on horse-riding librarians. Learn more in the Social Studies Mini Spark.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your Social Studies mini spark recording page: #10: Horse Riding Librarians

2. A part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s New Deal, the Pack Horse Library Project was “an ambitious plan to deliver educational resources to struggling eastern Kentucky families.” Championed by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) program also benefited women and children by providing women with a way to earn income.

3.  In this video of Untold History, learn more about the Horse Riding Librarians. Record 5 details about this program on your recording page.

4. Listen to this/read this 6 minute podcast, The Pack Horse Librarians Of Eastern Kentucky, from PBS.

How did people respond to the program?

Where did the books come from?

In the podcast they compared the Kentucky book project to other types of programs around the world. Record a few of these programs.

5. Share your Social Studies mini spark recording page with your teacher or the EY coordinator in your building.