Browse our thoughtful, provocative selection of design-oriented gifts and an exclusive line of merchandise relating to the themes of our collection and exhibitions. Decked out with a beautiful 1915 shelving system by Snead & Co. Iron Works, our shop carries innovative travel accessories, kitchenware, watches, jewelry, clocks, toys, and books—including award-winning Wolfsonian publications. Plus, we have free WiFi!
Library shelving system, c. 1896, for the ASPCA Building, New York City. The Snead & Co. Iron Works, Louisville, Kentucky, and Chicago, manufacturer. The Wolfsonian–FIU, Gift of Arnold Goldstein.
An example of the first modular book stacking system, this unit was mass-produced from standardized cast iron parts that allowed for variation and flexibility while keeping manufacturing costs down. The design also revolutionized how people used public libraries, enabling patrons to retrieve books themselves instead of waiting for a librarian to deliver them. It was, in this way, an expression of the democratization of knowledge that was a goal of the Progressive Era in the United States. Similar units were installed at the New York Public Library and the Library of Congress, as well as in the Vatican Library.
