Caroline M. Hewins (1846-1926) Caroline Hewins was the first female public library director, and is credited as being the first person to welcome children to the library, and to create programs specifically for children. In 1904, she established a children's room at the Hartford Library in Connecticut. She was the first woman to speak at an American Library Association conference, and is described as "an innovator in children's librarianship, who hosted children's story-related events at the library and compiled annotated reading lists of recommended children's literature" (Wiegand 36). Hewins was also the founder of the Connecticut Library Association. "In Hartford, Caroline Hewins personally befriended many children, and she was fond of celebrations and outings" (Bush 719). (Image courtesy of Connecticuthistory.org)
Anne Carroll Moore (1871-1961) Anne Carroll Moore was one of the most important leaders in children's services. She started her library career at the Pratt Institute Library in New York. She later moved to the New York Public Library, and became the first Supervisor of Work with Children. She established children's rooms at every branch of the library. Besides being a librarian, she was a critic of children's literature. "Many future children's editors were initially trained as children's librarians, and this provided for an important discourse and partnership between the publishing house and the library, still prevalent today" (Martens 310). Moore had a column called The Three Owls in the New York Herald Tribune, which reviewed children's literature from 1924-1930. It later moved to The Horn Book Magazine. She was considered the "primary gatekeeper in the field of children's literature, determining through her reviews and criticism which books were worthy of inclusion in the canon of quality children's literature" (Martens 307). (Image courtesy of Wikipedia)
Marie L. Shedlock (1854-1935) Marie L. Shedlock was a professional storyteller from England. She wrote a very influential book called The Art of the Story-Teller. She went on two tours of the United States, where she would read stories, and Anne Carroll Moore, then a librarian at Pratt Institute Library, invited her to tell stories to the children at the Pratt Institute Library. This particular tour of the United States lasted seven years. Without Shedlock, libraries might have taken longer to conduct storytelling and storytime hours for children. (Image courtesy of Amazon)
Effie Louise Power (1873-1969) Effie Louise Power was the first librarian to be assigned specifically to children's work in the "Junior Alcove." She “directly influenced the development of services to children in three major U.S. cities: Cleveland, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh" (ALA). As well as being a librarian, Effie Louise Power was an author, storyteller, and educator. Power "traveled across the country lecturing students and librarians on children and youth library services. She worked to build a network of children's librarians across the country who supported each other and established high standards for all in the profession" (Wikipedia). (Image courtesy of DigiLibraries.com)
Mary Gould Davis (1882-1956) In 1913, Mary Gould Davis became a children's librarian for the New York Public Library. In 1922 she was promoted to Supervisor of Storytelling. She was an advocate for children, and was an author and editor of several books. From 1944-1953 she edited the "Books for Young People" column in the Saturday Review. She also taught a course in storytelling at Columbia University's Library School. Davis believed that the storyteller was the medium for the story. She was "widely respected as a master storyteller, is possession of a rich voice, perfect timing, and controlled gestures" (Miller 44). (Image courtesy of Abe Books)
Alice M. Jordan (1870-1960) Alice M. Jordan began working for the Boston Public Library in 1900. She became the first children's librarian at the library in 1902. Jordan was so influential in children's services that Simmons College asked her to teach a course on library work with children in 1911 (Eaton 26). By 1917, she was promoted to supervisor of all Boston Public Library's services to children. She was so well respected that she "served on the committee that selected the first Newbery Medal" (Eaton 26). One of her strongest achievements in children's librarianship was her creation of a children's librarian roundtable, for librarians in New England. Today, roundtables are still used and hold influence over librarians. (Image courtesy of Amazon)
Virginia Haviland (1911-1998). Virginia Haviland was the first director of the Children's Book Section of the Library of Congress, a position created in 1963. She first worked at the Boston Public Library, where she was known for her "imaginative work with young people-children's listening groups, puppet plays, reading clubs, visits to museums, etc" (Bader 61). She was an influential reviewer for The Horn Book Magazine. Haviland also taught at Simmons College School of Library Science, from 1958-1962. As the director of the Children's Book Section, she would assemble a reference collection of English and foreign language children's books, including history, criticism, book selection,and more. She did much for readers' advisory, coming out with annual best-book lists. Many journals and magazines still use these kinds of lists today, and librarians use these lists for collection development and readers' advisory. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia)