“There Are Books on Every Position in the House”: Milwaukee’s Schuster Store Libraries, 1912 to 1944

The period between the two world wars was a time of development and growth for department store libraries in the United States. While scholars have explored corporate libraries, those at department stores remain understudied. This investigation finds that these libraries, like those at other corporations, served to educate employees but also sought to improve them. Exploring the Schuster & Co. library in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this article employs the company’s archival records, contemporary periodicals, and business literature to illustrate how the library facilitated the store’s business mission and identifies three distinct periods of the library’s work.