LHRT News & Notes is honored to host these profiles by Dr. Mark Carl Rom. Dr. Rom is an independent researcher and author of Fatal Extraction, Welfare Magnets, and Public Spirit in the Thrift Tragedy as well as many other award-winning essays, articles, and videos, most of which you can find listed in his Google Scholar profile. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin and was formerly Associate Professor of Government and Public Policy, Georgetown University.
He is writing these draft profiles in preparation for a book to be entitled America’s Public Libraries: Finding the Women Who Make Them. We encourage you to visit his project web site at https://www.americaslibraries.com/ which includes updates and photos of his research travels.
Project Overview by Dr. Rom
I’m writing the book America’s Public Libraries: Finding the Women Who Make Them
which seeks to tell the stories of women who have created, directed, restored and
otherwise served public libraries in their communities. My research has included
visiting some 400 Carnegie libraries, and many others, as I traveled through the 48
lower states for seven months in 2023. My focus is primarily but not exclusively on
Carnegie libraries. Some of these women have had their stories told; others have toiled
in obscurity. I have relied heavily on the Carnegie archives and other archival sources.
I am seeking readers for parts of the manuscript and would love to hear your views. It
would also be great if you had stories about librarians you would like to share. Guidance
is most welcome, as I am neither a librarian nor a historian (I am a retired professor
who has written other books.) You can email comments to me at
mark.carl.rom@gmail.com. My website, where I posted daily reports from my travels, is
americaslibraries.com. Thanks
Profiles
Preface
Chapter 1: Libraries and Librarians
Virginia Librarians
The Women of Rutherford College, North Carolina
Hyde County Public Library, North Carolina
Celeste Hatcher and the Carnegie Colored Public Library
Frances (“Fannie”) Maria Brainerd O’Linn and the Chadron, Nebraska, Carnegie Library
S. Fannie Botkin and the Gothenburg, Nebraska, Carnegie Library
Kathryn Ashby and the Geneva Public Library