1900Īlthough his primary contribution was as director of the 19th-century precursor to the National Library of Medicine, he also directed the emerging New York Public Library from 1896 to 1913 and bargained for the old Croton Reservoir, which became the site of the 42nd Street main library. Mildred Batchelder’s papers are held at the ALA Archives. William Barrow’s papers are held at the Virginia Historical Society.Ī longtime ALA staff member, she was a champion of library service to youth who mentored developing leaders, established international relations with others in youth services, and succeeded in focusing public attention on issues of children and their reading and use of libraries.
Through his lifelong research and dedication to the question of what caused paper to deteriorate–a passion that began in his 20s when he developed the first practical roller-type laminator for weakened documents–he created the basis for contemporary practice in restoration and preservation. Her legacy survives in “A(ugusta) Baker’s Dozen,” an annual celebration of storytelling in Columbia sponsored by the Richland County Public Library and the USC library school.Īugusta Baker’s papers are held at the University of South Carolina. Often considered “America’s first lady of traditional storytelling,” she served as storyteller-in-residence at the University of South Carolina from 1980 until her retirement in 1994, after serving some 20 years as coordinator of children’s services and storytelling specialist at New York Public Library. Hugh Atkinson’s papers are held at the University of Illinois Archives in Urbana-Champaign. demonstrated drive and commitment to introduce new systems for organizing and recording collections while serving as library director at Ohio State University and at the University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign. Atkinson, University of Illinois Librarian (1976-1986)Īmong the first academic library administrators to see the potential for networking and cooperative collection development and their relationship to automation of library records, he.
Lester Asheim’s papers are held at the ALA Archives in two runs, one of papers from his work as the director of the International Relations Office, and the second is papers from his work as the director of the Office for Library Education.
Records about the Arbuthnot lecture series from the ALSC are held at the ALA Archives.Įlegance of manner and expression characterized his contributions to international librarianship, intellectual freedom, and library education. ALA’s Association for Library Service to Children sponsors an annual honor lecture in her name. Arbuthnot also authored several anthologies, some of which are still used in classrooms today. Her exhaustive textbook Children and Books (1947) reached six editions. Material related to Alex Allain’s work can be found in the files of the Freedom to Read Foundation at the ALA Archives.Īlthough she was not a librarian, children’s librarianship in this country has been enriched by her contributions to education as a popular teacher of children’s literature and extensive writings about children’s books. In addition, the UIUC library holds a full run of her magazine, Public Libraries. Additional materials related to her work can be found in the records of the Illinois Library Association, housed at the University of Illinois Archives.Ī true visionary, he spearheaded the formation of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom in 1967, and his tireless efforts included cofounding the Freedom to Read Foundation. Mary Eileen Ahern’s personal papers are held at the ALA Archives. Known for her missionary zeal for the teaching function of the public librarian, she also championed library training and the cause of small public libraries. Dewey (with the Placid look upon his face) Miss K. Brunden, our host, Miss ‘Public Libraries’ Ahern Mr. (These figures are in alphabetical order and not ranked. This page is meant to be a starting point only and is not comprehensive, if you are researching any of these figures please contact the ALA Archives for personalized help! This guide shows the depth and diversity of archives related to the history of libraries and librarianship. The following is an annotated version of that article intended as a research guide, providing links to known archival holdings of all these library figures, both in and outside of the ALA Archives. In their last issue of the 20th century, American Libraries magazine published a selection of the 100 most important library leaders of those last 100 years (American Libraries volume 30, number 11, December 1999).