The History Of Projected Books At Baldwin

Press release from the Baldwin Public Library:

March 24, 2020

Our librarians recently received an interesting reference question about projected books. Through research, we were able to find more information about this unique outreach material from the 1940s. Projected Books were published by the company Projected Books, Inc., from the 1940s through the 1970s. Microfilm images of book pages were projected onto the ceiling for hospitalized veterans to read while lying in bed.

Baldwin first added projected books to the collection in December 1947. The ceiling projector was donated by the local chapter of the Lions Club. By July 1948, the Library had approximately 84 projected books in its collection. Below, Jeanne Lloyd, Baldwin’s library director from 1947 to 1969, is pictured with members of the Birmingham Lions Club.

This press release was produced by the Baldwin Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.