Careers in Librarianship, 1992
A Guide to the Collection of Oral History Interviews at Indiana University
Bloomington
Finding aid prepared by the staff of the Center for
the Study of History and Memory with a grant from the National Endowment for the
Humanities Division of Preservation and Access, 2000-2002
Overview of the Collection
Repository
Indiana University Center for Documentary Research and Practice
Indiana University
Franklin Hall 0030B
601 E. Kirkwood Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47405
Phone: 812/855-2856
Fax: 812/855-0002
E-mail: ohrc@indiana.edu
https://cdrp.mediaschool.indiana.edu
Creator
Indiana University Center for the
Study of History and Memory
TitleCareers in Librarianship, 1992
Project No.
ohrc032
Interviews
10 interviews. Audiotapes, transcripts, and collateral
materials.
Physical Location
Interviews are housed in Franklin Hall, Room 0030B. Copies of interview transcripts are also held by the IU Libraries University
Archives.
Contact archives@indiana.edu for more information. For other locations housing the interviews
from this project, please contact the Center for Documentary Research and Practice office.
Language
Materials are in English
Abstract
The Career in Librarianship project includes interviews with ten people employed in
libraries or library education. Three of the interviewees were Deans of Indiana
University's School of Library and Information Science, or SLIS. Others include a
SLIS lecturer, a high school librarian, a college archivist, 2 public library
directors, and a public library branch head. All of the interviewees worked in
Indiana (except for one of the public library directors, who worked in Michigan).
Collectively, the interviews consider the training that librarians receive,
librarianship as a career, as well as changes in, and the future of, the profession.
The interviews were conducted by students of the Indiana University School of
Library and Information Science as a project for a class on the history of American
libraries.
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains ten interviews over the course of two years. Interviews range from 41 to 270 minutes. Most of the
interviews consist of typed transcripts and audio cassettes.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Oral history interviews conducted by the Indiana University Center for the
Study of History and Memory from 1968 to the present, with particular focus on the
history of twentieth-century America and the Midwest.
Usage Restrictions
The archive of the Center for Documentary Research and Practice at Indiana University is open
to the use of researchers. Copies of transcript pages are available only when such copies
are permitted by the deed of gift. Scholars must honor any
restrictions the interviewee placed on the use of the interview. Since some of our earlier
(pre-computer) transcripts do not exist in final form, any editing marks in a transcript
(deletions, additions, corrections) are to be quoted as marked. Audio files may not be copied for
patrons unless the deed of gift permits it, and a transcript is unavailable for that
interview. The same rules of use that apply to a transcript apply to the audio interview.
Interviews may not be reproduced in full for any public use, but excerpted quotes may be
used as long as researchers fully cite the data in their research, including accession
number, interview date, interviewee's and interviewer's name, and page(s).
Preferred Citation
[interviewee first name last name] interview, by [interviewer first name last
name], [interview date(s)], [call number], [project name], Center for Documentary Research and Practice, Indiana University,
Bloomington, [page number(s) or tape
number and side if no transcript; if digital audio and no transcript, cite time when quote occurs].
Interview List
Interviewee
Fry, Bernard M. June 19, 1992;
June 23, 1992;
June 29, 1992
Call Number
92-040
Physical Description
Not transcribed; 3 cassettes, 1 7/8 ips, 270 minutes; index; photocopy
of newspaper obituary
Interviewer
Gullett, Matt; LaRue, Gabrielle; Stemmer,
John
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Fry discusses his various occupations and education. He also talks about
where the field of library science is going and what still needs to be
done.
Bernard M. Fry (born in 1915, died in 1994) was Dean of the Indiana
University School of Library and Information Science from 1967 to 1980 and a
member of the faculty until 1984. He served in World War II on the Manhattan
Project and served in several capacities in librarianship and information
science for the federal government from 1946 to 1967. He edited two journals
and was active in library and information science organizations.
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Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- American Library Association
- Catholic University
- Central Intelligenc Agency
- George Peabody College
-
Government Publications Review
- Indiana Library Association
- Indiana University
- Indiana University School of Library and Information
Science
-
Information Processing and Management
-
Information Systems
- Legislative Reference Service
- Library of Congress
- Mary Washington College
- National Commission on Libraries and Information Science
- National Science Foundation
- National Technical Information Service
- Syracuse University
- Technical University
- Theta Chi
- United States Army Intelligence
- Vanderbilt University
-
-
Geographic Names
- Bloomington, Indiana
- Canada
- Holland
- New Mexico
- Washington, DC
-
-
Occupations
- army intelligence officer
- bibliographer
- editor
- librarian
- library school dean
-
-
Personal Names
- Griffith, Ernest
- Hoffman, Ronald
- Kaser, David
- Maxwell, Robert
- Reed, Sarah
- Roosevelt, Franklin Delano
- Rufsvold, Margaret
- Shores, Louis
- White, Herbert
-
-
Subjects
- atomic bomb
- college life
- information science
- library schools
- Manhattan Project
- World War II
Interviewee
Gerlach, Dominic April 18, 1993
Call Number
92-037
Physical Description
24 pages; 2 cassettes, 1 7/8 ips, 144 minutes; no index
Interviewer
Hufstetter, John
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Father Dominic Gerlach, born in 1921, describes his life as a professor of
German and history, and archivist at St. Joseph College in Rensselaer,
Indiana, where he began working in 1952.
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Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- Brunnerdale High School Seminary
- Society of the Precious Blood
- St. Charles Seminary
- St. Joseph College
- St. Louis University
-
-
Geographic Names
- Columbus, Ohio
- Fort Recovery, Ohio
- Mercer County, Ohio
- Rensselaer, Indiana
-
-
Occupations
- farmer
- history professor
- nun
- priest
-
-
Subjects
- buggies
- Catholicism
- farming
- German immigrants
- German language
- grade school readers
- Jim Crow laws
- Model T Ford
- public library
- rural school
- school lunches
- seminary life
- skyscrapers
Interviewee
Lair, Nancy Chambers May 4, 1993
Call Number
92-041
Physical Description
21 pages; 1 cassette, 1 7/8 ips, 50 minutes; black and white
photograph, biographical fact sheet
Interviewer
Holovack, Donna
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Nancy Lair, born in 1926, was a lecturer on the faculty of Indiana
University's School of Library and Information Science from 1974 to 1993.
She describes her childhood, college and library school education, and jobs
she has held in and outside of librarianship. She also talks at length about
her experience teaching workshops in Malawi in 1988.
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Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- Bunda College of Agriculture
- Columbia University
- Fairview School
- Indiana University
- Kmusu College of Nursing
- Longwood College
- McCalla School
- Monroe County Community School Corporation
- University of Kentucky
-
-
Geographic Names
- Blantyre, Malawi
- Bloomington, Indiana
- Bunda, Malawi
- Lilongwe, Malawi
- Maben, West Virginia
- New York, New York
- Zimbabwe
- Zomba, Malawi
-
-
Occupations
- librarian
- library educator
-
-
Personal Names
- Armstrong, Marian
- Botne, Robert
- Lair, John
- Msiska, Augustan
- Mwiyeriwa, Steve
- White, Herbert
-
-
Subjects
- library associations
- public library
- school library
Interviewee
Martin, Helen March 18, 1993
Call Number
92-042
Physical Description
34 pages; 1 cassette, 1 7/8 ips, 90 minutes; essay; word
list
Interviewer
Soper, Cheryl
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Helen Martin held various positions at the Vanderburgh County Public Library,
later the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Public Library, from 1945 to 1992.
She describes the changes in her work and the library's services over those
years.
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Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- Evansville City Library
- Evansville North High School
- Evansville-Vanderburgh County Public Library
- Francis Joseph Reitz High School
- Henry Reese Elementary School
- Sacred Heart Grade School
- St. Theresa Elementary School
- University of Evansville
- Vanderburgh County Library
- Woolworths
-
-
Geographic Names
- Evansville, Indiana
-
-
-
Personal Names
- Bean, Ruth
- Bickel, Bernice
- Bruner, Bernice
- Henze, Ronald
- Herr, Evangeline
- Howard, Edward A.
- Locker, Pamela
- McCollough, Ethel
- Rosaaen, Arnold
- Teubert, Lola
- Voelkel, Mildred
-
-
Subjects
- branch libraries
- children's library services
- employment benefits
- shipyards
- stroke patients
Interviewee
Outlaw, Carolyn April 16, 1993
Call Number
92-044
Physical Description
51 pages; 1 cassette, 1 7/8 ips, 41 minutes; outline, word list,
glossary
Interviewer
Brewer, Amy
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Carolyn Outlaw, née Carolyn Elaine Howard, born in 1937, describes her youth
and education in Evansville, Indiana, before beginning work at the
Evanville-Vanderburgh County Public Library in 1970. She describes changes
in the library and her work there.
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Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- Briggs Chrysler
- Evansville-Vanderburgh County Public Library
- Federal Produce
- Lincoln High School
-
-
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Geographic Names
- Evansville, Indiana
-
-
-
Personal Names
- Klinger, Fran
- Lensing, Robert
- Lensing, Wendel
- Sanders, Dolores
- Wilson, E. Carolyn
-
-
Subjects
- Carnegie libraries
- Christmas traditions
- doll collection
- flooding
- library services
Interviewee
Rufsvold, Margaret May 3, 1992
Call Number
92-043
Physical Description
not transcribed; 3 cassettes, 1 7/8 ips, 202 minutes; keyword lists,
curriculum vita
Interviewer
Coyle, Tina
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Margaret I. Rufsvold, born 1907, speaks about her ancestors, her parent's
education, and her personal education. She discusses her early professional
career, the development of the library school, the curriculum, and the
accredidation of the department. She also discusses being selected to
develop a research library for the university in Bangkok, Thailand, and her
experience there in the nineteen sixties. She finishes off the interview by
discussing some of her academic interests and research areas during her
career.
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Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- American Library Association
- Columbia University
- George Peabody College
- Indiana Library Association
- Indiana State Department of Public Instruction
- Indiana University School of Education
- Indiana University School of Library and Information
Science
- Mundelein College
- Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division
- North Central Association of Standards
- University of Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Library Commission
-
-
Geographic Names
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Calumet, Michigan
- Istanbul, Turkey
- LaCrosse, Wisconsin
- Marinette, Wisconsin
- North Dakota
- Peshtago, Wisconsin
- St. Paul, Minnesota
-
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Occupations
- librarian
- SLIS dean
-
-
Personal Names
- Fry, Bernard
- Guss, Carolyn
- Hazeltine, Mary Jean
- Hofster, Anita
- Johnson, Edna
- Miller, Robert A.
- Wells, Edna
- Wells, Herman B
- Wright, Wendell W. "Whack"
-
-
Subjects
- academic research
- audio-visual materials
- library school
- library science
- school accredidation
- school librarianship
- sororities
-
Who's Who in America
- World War II
Interviewee
Sander, Harold J. March 25, 1993
Call Number
92-039
Physical Description
19 pages; 2 cassettes, 1 7/8 ips, 1 hour, 20 minutes
Interviewer
Heffron, Jennifer
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Harold J. Sander, born 1913, describes his education at Evansville College
and Columbia University, which led to his career as librarian. In that
career, Sander worked at the Indiana State Library, the Roanoke Public
Library, and was head of the business branch and ultimately director of the
Indianapolis Public Library from 1956 to 1971. During his tenure as
director, the library merged with most other public libraries in Marion
County. Finally, Sander imparts his philosophy of librarianship.
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Keywords
-
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Corporation Names
- Columbia University
- Evansville College
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Focus on Business and Industry
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Focus on Indiana Libraries
- Industrial Editors Association
- Indianapolis Public Library
- Indiana State Library
- Roanoke Public Library
- University of Evansville
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Your Cue to Business
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Geographic Names
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Marion County, Indiana
- New York, New York
- Roanoke, Indiana
-
-
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Personal Names
- Chait, Bill
- Gnat, Raymond
- Logsdon, Robert
- Lugar, Richard G.
- Nevins, Allen
- Wood, Albert
-
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Subjects
-
The Care and Feeding of Executives
- censorship
- library school
- stuttering
Interviewee
Weick, Robert J. March 25, 1993
Call Number
92-036
Physical Description
16 pages; 1 cassette, 1 7/8 ips, 82 minutes; biographical
sheet
Interviewer
Bishop, Raymond
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Robert J. Weick, born in 1925, describes his career as a teacher and school
librarian, primarily his time in the Fort Wayne, Indiana Community Schools.
He observes how schools and their libraries have changed over time.
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Keywords
-
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Corporation Names
- Association of Indiana Media Educators
- Fort Wayne Community Schools
- International Harvester Company
- Manchester College
- Western Michigan University
-
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Occupations
- librarian
- teacher
-
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Personal Names
- Lewandowski, Bob
- Shang, Marlene
- Webb, Marian
-
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Geographic Names
- Chinook, Montana
- Flat River, Missouri
- Fort Wayne, Indiana
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Interviewee
White, Herb April 17, 1992;
April 22, 1992
Call Number
92-045
Physical Description
92 pages; 3 cassettes, 1 7/8 ips, 210 minutes; keyword index; 2
VHS videocasettes
Physical Location
Interviews are housed in Radio-TV Building, Room
314. Copies of interview transcripts are also held by the IU Libraries University Archives.
Contact archives@indiana.edu for more information. For other locations housing the interviews
from this project, please contact the Center for Documentary Research and Practice office.
Interviewer
D'Ambrosio, Tom; Luttman, Carrie
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
This interview with Herbert White, one-time Dean of Indiana University's
School of Library and Information Science, covers his family background,
education, employment history, library education, and professional
issues.
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Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- American Documentation Institute
- American Society for Information Science
- Atomic Energy Commission
- Bethesda Research Center
- Carleton College
- City University of New York
- Colorado Clerk Typist School
- Columbia University
- ERIC
- Harvard Law School
- IBM Corporation
- Indiana University School of Library and Information
Science
- Indiana University School of Public and Environmental
Affairs
- Library of Congress
- NASA
- National Science Foundation
- Navy Research Technical Division
- New York University
- Queensborough Public Library
- Special Libraries Association
- Tennessee Valley Authority
- United Aircraft
- United States Army
- University of Alberta
- University of South Florida
-
-
Geographic Names
- Brooklyn, New York
- Bloomington, Indiana
- Dallas, Texas
- Fort Wayne, Indiana
- Iran
- Mississippi
- Poland
- Switzerland
- Vienna, Austria
-
-
Occupations
- librarian
- bibliographer
- library school dean
-
-
Personal Names
- Braylove, Allen
- Brown, A.
- Bush, Buzzy
- Churchill, Winston
- Cronin, Blaise
- Fry, Bernard
- Garfield, Eugene
- Kreimer, Richard
- Luhn, Peter
- Miller, Don
- Miller, Morton
- Mort, Sara
- Murphy, Marcy
- Passet, Joanne
- Peterson, Peggy
- Savage, Terry
- Schmidt, Steve
- Shull, Harrison
- Smith, Kay
- Steinberg, Saul
- Taub, Mortimer
- Tennyson, Alfred
-
-
Subjects
- high school life
- immigrants
- library school
- student life
Interviewee
Whitney, Eleanor February 1, 1993
Call Number
92-038
Physical Description
15 pages; 1 cassette, 1 7/8 ips, 63 minutes; photocopies of 13
newspaper clippings
Interviewer
Rauh, Jill
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Eleanor Whitney was interviewed as a part of an Indiana University School of
Library and Information Science course on library history. She was born in
Lansing, Michigan, in 1908, and adopted at age 8. Whitney was a graduate of
Benton Harbor, Michigan High School and Ward-Belmont School for Girls in
Nashville, Tennessee., and attended the University of Chicago for a
semester. She received an A.B. in library science from Western Michigan
University in 1952. Whitney worked at the Benton Harbor Public Library from
1943 until her retirement in 1969, serving as children's librarian from 1950
to 1951 and as director from 1951 to 1959. She describes library staff, its
board of trustees, services, and the building of a new library late in her
tenure.
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Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- American Library Association
- Benton Harbor Public Library
- Benton Township Library
- Berrien County Library League
- Michigan Children's Home
- Southwest Michigan Library Cooperative
- University of Chicago
- Western Michigan University
-
-
Geographic Names
- Benton Harbor, Michigan
- Detroit, Michigan
-
-
Occupations
- librarian
- library clerk
- library director
-
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Personal Names
- Arnold, Theodosia Falkingham
- Baker, Dorothy
- Burket, Rose
- Cole, Emma
- Farnum, Don
- Goldbaum, David
- Gray, Humphrey S.
- Hemingway, Janice
- Kibler, "Kib"
- Kinney, John
- McKie, Barbara
- Mittan, Roy
- Taylor, George
- Whitney, Robert A.
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Subjects
- African-Americans
- bookmobile
- genealogy
- library boards of trustees
- library collection development
- library consortium
- library school
- library services
- young adults' library services
