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List of state librarians of Ohio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The State Library of Ohio was created in 1817 as a service to the government of the state. Over the years, the State Library has increased its scope to include service to all residents of the state.[1] The position of State Librarian of Ohio was created with the creation of the first State Library of Ohio in 1821. In the early days of the state library, the position was a political 'reward' given by the Governor or legislature. An illustration of that is the fact that the position of changed twice between two men from 1896 to 1921. During the administration of a Democratic Governor, John Newman held the position. Then, when a Republican Governor was elected Charles Galbreath held the job.[2] The first professional librarian was not appointed until 1921. Today, the post is held by a trained librarian who is responsible for the overall management of the State Library.

The first State Librarian was John Harper, appointed by Governor Worthington. The governor had purchased 509 books to be used as a resource for the Ohio State Legislature.[1][3][4] Mr. Harper was paid $2.00 per day for each day the legislature was in session. The second librarian was appointed by a senator in 1820. In 1823 the Ohio legislature passed a law defining the term of state librarian as three years with an annual salary of $200.[1]

An outcome of the Ohio Constitutional Convention of 1851 was that the appointment of state librarian was returned to the Governor, though appointment was subject to consent of the Ohio State Senate. The salary was increased to $10,000 and length of term changed to 2 years. A Board of Library Commissioners, consisting of the Governor, Secretary of State, and the State Librarian, was created by the Ohio General Assembly in 1858.[1]

In 1921 the State Library became a division of the Department of Education with a five-member board overseeing policies of the library and the appointment of the State Librarian. Four members of the board were appointed by the Governor and the Director of Education would be the fifth member. The State Librarian was the board's secretary.[1]

List

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State Librarians of Ohio[1]
Librarian Term Notes
John L. Harper 1817–1818
John McElvain 1818–1820
David S. Brodrick 1820–1824
Zachariah Mills 1824–1842
Thomas Kennedy 1842–1845
John B. Greiner 1845–1851
Elijah Hayward 1851–1854
James Wickes Taylor 1854–1856 Organized and bound the 1850 census; promoted the preservation of state documents; began exchange system between Ohio and other states and countries[1]
William T. Coggeshall 1856–1862
Samuel G. Harbaugh 1862–1874
Walter C. Hood 1874–1875
Hiram H. Robinson 1875–1877
Rodney M. Stimson 1877–1879 Donated 19,000 books and newspapers related to the history of the Northwest Territory and Ohio; elected State Senator in 1869 and 1871[1]
Henry V. Kerr 1879–1881
Joseph H. Geiger 1881–1883
Howard T. Conard 1883–1885 Author[5]
Hamilton W. Pierson 1885–1886
Francis B. Loomis 1886–1887
John M. Doane 1887–1889
William B. Sibley 1889–1890
John C. Tuthill 1890–1892
Joseph P. Smith 1892–1896
Charles B. Galbreath 1896–1911 Instituted the system of traveling libraries, first president of the National Association of State Librarians in 1900[1]
John H. Newman 1911–1915
Charles B. Galbreath 1915–1918
John H. Newman 1918–1921
Herbert S. Hirshberg 1921–1927 First professionally trained librarian to hold the position[1]
George E. McCormick 1928–1931
John H. Newman 1931–1933
Paul A. T. Noon 1933–1942
Walter T. Brahm 1942–1963 President of the National Association of State Libraries 1959-1960; awarded the Ohio Library Association’s Librarian of the Year award in 1959[1]
Ruth Hess, Acting State Librarian 1963–1966
Joseph F. Shubert 1966–1977
Richard M. Cheski 1978–1995
Michael S. Lucas 1996–2004
Joanne Budler 2004–2010
Beverly Cain 2010–2020
Wendy Knapp 2020–2024

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cohen, Sidney; State Library of Ohio Staff. "State Librarians of Ohio". Ohio State Library. State Library of Ohio. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ "A Brief History of the State Librarian of Ohio Position". State Library of Ohio. State Library of Ohio. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  3. ^ "Ohio State Library Centennial". Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly. 28 (1): 96–113. January 1919.
  4. ^ Goodman, Rebecca (June 20, 2003). "State Library was first in Northwest Territory". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  5. ^ bicentennial.library.ohio.gov/items/show/40