Wisconsin Library Hall of Fame

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A Wisconsin Library Hall of Fame has been proposed as a possible project for the Wisconsin Library Heritage Center. Information is provided below on some individuals who would likely be included in a Wisconsin Library Hall of Fame.

In 1951, the Library Journal with the assistance of several prominent library historians compiled a list of 40 of America’s most significant library leaders up to that point who were not longer living (only librarians were included). The title of the article was “A Library Hall of Fame: For the 75^th Anniversary [of the ALA]”. On that list were four individuals who were from Wisconsin or who had significant Wisconsin connections. They were Mary E. Hazeltine, Theresa Elmendorf, Lutie E. Stearns, and Reuben G. Thwaites (see below for information about these individuals). If the list had included non-librarians, it would have almost certainly included Frank F. Hutchins. Hutchins was included in the "As it Was in The Beginning" series of Public Libraries in the 1920s which featured an elite group of early library leaders.

Many of the individuals listed below were included in the Dictionary of Library Biography which heavily screens entries for significant contributions to American library development.

For entries linked to the Dictionary of Wisconsin History, search by keyword using the person's name to find the entry in the dictionary.

For entries linked to the Wisconsin Historical Images section of the Wisconsin Historical Society Web site, search by keyword using the person's name to find images of that person in the image collection.

Susan Grey Akers (1889-1984)

Wisconsin Library School faculty member 1922-1928. Visiting librarian with the Wisconsin Free Library Commission for Lutie Stearns in the summers. Author of Simple Library Cataloging multiple editions, 1927-1954 continued by other authors. In 1931 she became the second woman and the fourth person to receive a Ph. D. in Librarianship.

Dictionary of American Library Biography

Edward A. Birge 1851-1950

Trustee of the Madison Public Library. President of WLA, 1897-1899 and 1905-1906. Member of the Wisconsin Free Library Commission. Professor of Zoology at UW and later President of the UW.

Dictionary of Wisconsin History
Wisconsin Historical Images

Elizabeth Burr, 1908-1996

Retired in 1973 after 27 years as Public Library Consultant for Children's Services for the Wisconsin Division for Library Services and its predecessor the Wisconsin Library Commission. Founder of the Cooperative Children's Book Center in 1963 and its director until her retirement. She was the first recipient of the Wisconsin's Library Association's "Librarian of the Year" award. In 1992, WLA established the annual Elizabeth Burr Award to be given to the Wisconsin author or illustrator of a distinguished book for children.

Listed in the National Advocacy Honor Roll by the American Library Association in 2000 for her contribution as an advocate for library services in the 20th century.

Theresa Elmendorf (1855-1932)

Theresa West became Deputy Librarian of the Milwaukee Public Library in 1880 when she was just 25 years old. She became Librarian in 1892 when the previous librarian, Klas Linderfelt, resigned. She held this post until 1896 when she married Henry Elmendorf, also a librarian. They moved to Buffalo where Henry became director of the Buffalo Public Library. After the death of her husband, Theresa Elmendorf became Vice-Librarian of the Buffalo Public Library. Active in the American Library Association, she became the first woman president of ALA in 1911-12.

Dictionary of American Library Biography

Muriel L. Fuller (1912-1978)

Fuller was a leader in continuing education for librarianship. She received WLA's Citation of Merit award in 1972. The Muriel Fuller award was established by WLA in her honor in 1991.

Listed in the National Advocacy Honor Roll by the American Library Association in 2000 for her contribution as an advocate for library services in the 20th century.

Lyman Copeland Draper (1815-1891)

Draper became corresponding secretary of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin in 1854, an office he held until 1886. He was responsible for significantly increasing the size of the Society's library. As the state superintendent of public instruction (1858-1859), he was instrumental in promoting the beginnings of the University of Wisconsin Library.

Dictionary of American Library Biography
Dictionary of Wisconsin History

Matthew Simpson Dudgeon (1871-1949)

Secretary of the Wisconsin Free Library Commission 1909-1920. He took a leave of absence in 1919 to become the director of domestic camp libraries for the American Library Association's Library War Service. In 1920 he was appointed director of the Milwaukee Public Library, a position he held for 21 years.

Dictionary of American Library Biography
Dictionary of Wisconsin History

Mary Emogene Hazeltine (1868-1949)

First Head of the Wisconsin Library School established under the auspices of the Wisconsin Free Library Commission in 1906. She served in this capacity until 1938. The school was one of six charter members of the Association of American Library Schools.

Dictionary of American Library Biography
Dictionary of Wisconsin History

Frank Avery Hutchins (1851-1914)

One of the founders of the Wisconsin Library Association. Secretary of the Wisconsin Free Library Commission 1895-1904. Hutchins became interested in libraries while serving as editor of the weekly newspaper, the Beaver Dam Argus. He helped organize the Beaver Dam Free Library Association which was established in 1884. He was a proponent of open shelves in libraries and the Williams Free Library in Beaver Dam claimed to be the first library in America to have opens shelves.

Featured in the "As it Was in The Beginning" series of Public Libraries 30 (1925): 186-190.

Dictionary of American Library Biography
Dictionary of Wisconsin History
Wisconsin Historical Images

Sarah Janice Kee (1908 -1998)

Kee served as Secretary of the Wisconsin Free Library Commission 1956-1965. She provided the leadership for significant statewide planning during this period and for the implementation of the federal Library Services Act. She received WLA's Special Service Award in 1965. Previously she was Executive Director of the Public Library 1952-1956 and held a number of posts at the Missouri State Library including Acting State Librarian and Assistant State Librarian 1947-1950. She was an Army librarian during World War II. After her work in Wisconsin she taught at the Library School Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia and then became a Library Services Program Officer for the U.S. Dept. of Education in Dallas, Texas where she retired.

Listed in the National Advocacy Honor Roll by the American Library Association in 2000 for her contribution as an advocate for library services in the 20th century.

Henry Eduard Legler (1861-1917)

Born in Italy, grew up in LaCrosse, WI, elected to the WI legislature for one term, became Secretary of the WI Free Library Commission in 1904 (after Hutchins). At the Commission he started the Wisconsin Library Bulletin in 1905 and the Wisconsin Library School in 1906. In 1909 he left to become Director of the Chicago Public Library. He founded the ALA Booklist in 1904 and served as its editor until 1916. In 1905 he was elected chairman of the League of Library Commissioners, an ALA Auxiliary.

Dictionary of American Library Biography
Dictionary of Wisconsin History

Charles R. McCarthy (1873-1921)

McCarthy was the first librarian of the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. McCarthy was a leader in the Progressive Movement and was the author of The Wisconsin Idea. The Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library served as a prototype of such libraries in other states and also was the model for the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress. A plaque honoring McCarthy is located in the Assembly chambers of the state capitol in Madison.

Dictionary of American Library Biography
Dictionary of Wisconsin History
Wisconsin Historical Images

Cornelia Marvin Pierce (1873-1957)

Cornelia Marvin served as head of the Wisconsin Library Commission Summer School of Library Training during the summers of 1897 and 1898. In July 1899 she became a full-time employee of the Wisconsin Library Commission as library instructor and director of the Summer School of Library Training. In 1905 she left Wisconsin to become the first secretary of the Oregon Library Commission which became the Oregon State Library in 1913. She served as state librarian until 1928. She married Walter M. Pierce in 1928.

Listed in the National Advocacy Honor Roll by the American Library Association in 2000 for her contribution as an advocate for library services in the 20th century.

Dictionary of American Library Biography

Lutie Eugenia Stearns (1866-1943)

Along with Frank Hutchins and James Stout was instrumental in establishing the Wisconsin Free Library Commission. She was the first paid staff member of the Wisconsin Free Library Commission. In this capacity she traveled the state establishing traveling libraries and free public libraries.

Listed in the National Advocacy Honor Roll by the American Library Association in 2000 for her contribution as an advocate for library services in the 20th century.

Dictionary of American Library Biography
Dictionary of Wisconsin History
Wisconsin Historical Images

James Huff Stout (1848-1910)

As a state senator James H. Stout was instrumental, along with Lutie Stearns and Frank Hutchins, in establishing the Wisconsin Free Library Commission in 1895. Stout also personally funded the first traveling libraries in Wisconsin in Dunn County.

Dictionary of Wisconsin History
Wisconsin Historical Images

Reuben Gold Thwaites (1853-1913)

Thwaites served as assistant to Lyman C. Draper, Secretary State Historical Society of Wisconsin from 1885 to 1887. He became Secretary of the Historical Society after Draper's retirement in 1887. he served in this capacity until his death in 1913. He was a founder of the Wisconsin Library Association in 1891and served on the Wisconsin Free Library Commission from its inception in 1895 in his capacity as Secretary of the Historical Society. He was President of the American Library Association in 1900.

Dictionary of American Library Biography
Dictionary of Wisconsin History
Wisconsin Historical Images

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