Why Does the Milwaukee Zoo Have a Library?

Published April 10, 2018 at 12:12 PM CDT

1 of 10

A journey through the spacious stacks of the Milwaukee County Zoo library.

Mitch Teich

2 of 10

A journey through the spacious stacks of the Milwaukee County Zoo library.

Mitch Teich

3 of 10

While the library is up-to-date with technology, librarian Mary Kazmierczak demonstrates that patrons still sign out books the old-fashioned way - with a card in the back.

Mitch Teich

4 of 10

While the library is up-to-date with technology, librarian Mary Kazmierczak demonstrates that patrons still sign out books the old-fashioned way - with a card in the back.

Mitch Teich

5 of 10

Even at a zoo library, patrons need to be familiar with the Dewey Decimal system.

Mitch Teich

6 of 10

Even at a zoo library, patrons need to be familiar with the Dewey Decimal system.

Mitch Teich

7 of 10

The zoo animals do not have borrowing privileges, but if they did, this title would be popular.

Mitch Teich

8 of 10

The zoo animals do not have borrowing privileges, but if they did, this title would be popular.

Mitch Teich

9 of 10

To put "Primates In Perspective" in perspective, it's almost four years overdue.

Mitch Teich

10 of 10

To put "Primates In Perspective" in perspective, it's almost four years overdue.

Mitch Teich

On last week's Bubbler Talk, we visited the library at the Milwaukee County Zoo to learn whether visitors to the zoo, years ago, were really allowed to feed marshmallows to the polar bears (and other animals). Turns out, the answer was yes.

But a question emerged from that story: Why the heck does the Milwaukee County Zoo have a library, anyway?

It's National Library Week, so we thought we were overdue (library humor!) in telling the tale.

Lake Effect's Mitch Teich sat down with Mary Kazmierczak, librarian and information specialist for the Milwaukee County Zoo and the Zoological Society of Milwaukee, to learn about the zoo's library: