Many librarians start their path towards librarianship as a child. Books are an exciting form of media that suddenly open a new world as soon as a child learns to read. An homage to the children’s literature of the past that helped to spark the creativity and love of learning for millions of children is the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature.
Housed at the University of Florida, the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature includes more than 115,000 items from the 1600s to the present day.
From books to manuscripts, original artwork, and other ephemera.
Some interesting finds include traditional Hans Christian Anderson editions as well as some comparative versions of Alice in Wonderland.
While the Baldwin Library is mainly a physical repository, it established an online presence in 2021. Titles are able to be read online as many are presumed to be a part of the public domain due to age.