Public libraries had previously used wooden bookcases with fixed shelves. However, since 1910, the increased demand for public access to books and the growth of libraries have required a more flexible design. For example, the New York Public Library needed seventy-five miles of new bookshelves in 1910 for its grand opening the following year. The perfect solution came from the American architect and president of Snead & Company, Angus Snead MacDonald. 'It was their bookshelf design that made America's biggest libraries possible.'
 
Snead & Company, of Louisville, Kentucky, was a cast-iron works business manufacturing girders, window frames, kettles and spittoons before turning its attention to the design of bookshelves. The multi-tiered, self-supporting book stack design enabled 'more books' onto 'more shelves'. The parts were standardised and interchangeable so, providing flexibility. The shelves could be moved easily for different sized books and had the strength to support their weight. Their strength is shown in the fact that 'Early Snead book stacks were built out of exposed steel or cast-iron columns that served as structural reinforcements for the building.'
 
Snead & Company shelves have been in libraries worldwide for two generations, providing 'hundreds of miles of new shelf space.'
 
Two highly collectable Snead & Co. cast iron bookshelves are currently for sale on SalvoWEB.
 
See the link below to two exceptional antique library shelving units: 9ft wide X 92in high X 18in deep or 15ft wide X 92in high X 18 deep (pictured). Fully adjustable to fit all book sizes, art and photography, the racks are also cleverly designed for good book ventilation. This set also includes a custom marble shelf, perfect for a turntable or sound system. These shelves can be used 'floating' in a room as a dynamic room divider or also work well against a wall.