The Inspiring Women Who Made Library History

Although most librarians today are women, libraries were originally staffed mostly by men. Even as more women entered the profession during the 1800s, men still held most managerial positions. However, female librarians kept pushing against the glass ceiling, breaking down the barriers holding them back.

While there are many well-known female firsts in libraries, there are also plenty of lesser-known achievements that deserve to be celebrated. Here are seven trailblazing women who have made library history.

Louisa F. Goodwin (1832 or 1833–1911)

Louisa F. Goodwin may not be a household name, but she bears the distinction of being the first female state librarian in the United States. Her exact birth year is uncertain, but she was born in Waterville, Maine, in either 1832 or 1833. She later moved to Minnesota with her husband, James Goodwin.

Unfortunately, James was wounded during the Civil War and eventually succumbed to his injuries. Louisa, now a war widow, was specifically selected by the Minnesota legislature to become state librarian despite no other state having previously chosen a woman for such an important position. She served as the state librarian in Minnesota for two years, from 1865 to 1867.

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Theresa West Elmendorf (1855–1932)

Theresa West Elmendorf had a long career in public libraries, earning herself a handful of notable achievements. At just twenty-five years old, she became the deputy librarian of the Milwaukee Public Library in 1880. Two years later, she became the first American Library Association (ALA) member from Wisconsin. Inspired by other ALA-associated libraries, she successfully promoted the creation of a Wisconsin state library association.

In 1892, Elmendorf became the librarian at the Milwaukee Public Library, the first woman to direct the public library of a large city in the United States. Thanks to her stellar career in libraries and her active participation in the ALA, she was elected the association’s first female president in 1911.

Linda Anne Eastman (1867–1963)

Linda Anne Eastman was a dedicated librarian who helped her library make it through the Great Depression in her role as the first woman to head a major metropolitan library system. Eastman first started working at the Cleveland Public Library system in 1892 after working as an elementary school teacher. After only two years, she became the head of one of the library branches, and then in 1896, she became the assistant librarian of the entire system.

In 1918, Eastman became the first woman to lead the library system of a city as large as Cleveland. During her tenure, she oversaw the construction of a new main library, led the library through dire budget cuts during the Depression, and expanded the library’s services to disabled patrons. She also helped found the School of Library Science at Western Reserve University and became president of the ALA.

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Pura Belpré (1899–1982)

Pura Belpré was the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City. She was dedicated to bringing Spanish-language works to the city’s growing Puerto Rican population. She began working at the New York Public Library (NYPL) in 1921, where she traveled to different branches to tell children’s stories in both Spanish and English. Belpré used puppets to tell her stories, starting an ongoing tradition at the NYPL.

Belpré also wrote books, including Perez y Martina, the first Spanish-language book for children published by a mainstream US press. Today, the Pura Belpré Award is given annually to Latine writers and illustrators of children’s and young adult books.

Clara Stanton Jones (1913–2012)

Clara Stanton Jones’ groundbreaking career involved a number of firsts. After working at the Detroit Public Library since 1944, she became the first African American woman to serve as director of a major library system in the United States in 1970. Her appointment as director was not without protest from some of the library’s white board members.

Jones proved herself capable in the role and went on to be elected the first African American president of the ALA in 1977. She rose above both racial and gender barriers and spent her career transforming libraries from simple book depositories to the information centers they are today.

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Effie Lee Morris (1921–2009)

Effie Lee Morris was a children’s librarian who pioneered services for minorities and people with visual impairments and became the first African American woman elected president of the Public Library Association in 1971. Morris studied library science at Western Reserve University in Cleveland before working at the Cleveland Public Library, where she established the first Negro History Week celebration for children.

Morris then moved to New York, where she served as a children’s specialist at the NYPL’s Library for the Blind. Later, she moved to San Francisco, where she became the first coordinator of children’s services at the San Francisco Public Library and established their Children’s Historical and Research Collection.

Carla Hayden (1952 – )

Dr. Carla Hayden is the first woman and African American to become the librarian of Congress, sworn in on September 14, 2016. She has had a long career working in libraries, starting at the Chicago Public Library in the 1970s. She has held numerous distinguished positions across the country, including deputy commissioner and chief librarian of the Chicago Public Library and CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland.

Hayden has also been president of the ALA and was the first African American to receive Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year Award. During her tenure at the Library of Congress, she has worked on making the library more accessible to the public and has made efforts to curate a more inclusive collection.

These women throughout history fought hard to make libraries the welcoming, inclusive places they are today. Their resilience and innovation continue to inspire women in libraries across the country. Their struggles and successes are important reminders to stay strong and keep moving forward even when people try to hold you back.

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