Celebrate Inspiring Women @ Your Library

Were you glued to your screens these last few weeks, following your favorite Olympic athletes and tracking the medal counts? I found myself watching sports I hadn’t paid much attention to before, like snowboarding and curling. As you know, I love hockey, so I was especially thrilled that the U.S. women’s team won gold. Did you know that the U.S. women have actually won more Olympic gold medals than the men? That got me thinking…

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, let’s consider the remarkable women who have shaped the library profession. While women make up the majority of librarians today, libraries were once staffed exclusively by men. Even as women entered the profession during the 1800s, leadership roles remained primarily held by men. Yet, female librarians continued to challenge barriers and expand opportunities within the field.

Famous women in library science include trailblazers like:

• Hypatia of Alexandria (c. 350-415 AD): Often cited as one of the first female custodians of knowledge, preserving mathematical works.
• Louisa F. Goodwin (1832/3-1911): Perhaps not a household name, but she bears the distinction of being the first female State Librarian in the United States. She was specifically selected by the Minnesota legislature to become State Librarian despite no other state having previously chosen a woman for such an important position. Goodwin served for two years, from 1865 to 1867.
• Linda Anne Eastman (1867-1963): First woman to head a major metropolitan library (Cleveland Public Library); guided it through the Great Depression and helped found the School of Library Science at Western Reserve University.
• Pura Belpre (1899-1982): The first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City, she brought Spanish-language works, puppet storytelling, and her own children’s books to the city’s Puerto Rican community. The Pura Belpré Award now annually honors Latino children’s and young adult authors and illustrators.
• Clara Stanton Jones (1913-2012): Working at the Detroit Public Library since 1944, she became the first African American woman to serve as director of a major library system in the United States in 1970 and went on to be elected the first African American president of the American Library Association in 1977. Jones rose above both racial and gender barriers and spent her career transforming libraries from simple book depositories to the information centers they are today.
• Carla Hayden (1952-Present): Appointed in 2016, she is the first woman and African American Librarian of Congress and the first African American to receive Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year Award.

To show the impact of women specifically in our state, here are several women whose contributions have shaped Florida’s libraries, archives, and historical records.

• Dr. Dorothy Dodd (1902-1994): As Florida’s state archivist and second State Librarian, developed the State Library’s Florida Collection.
• Thelma Boltin (1904-1992): Director of the Florida Folk Festival, preserved Florida’s cultural heritage in the state archives.
• Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960): Renowned author and anthropologist who worked for the WPA’s Federal Writers’ Project in the 1930s.
• Kathleen de la Pena McCook (1944-Present): A distinguished professor at the University of South Florida (USF) School of Library Science, known for her advocacy in library services and social justice.
• Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955): Founded a school for Black girls in 1904, led Bethune-Cookman University from 1923 to 1942, and served as the only African American woman on the US delegation that drafted the United Nations Charter.
• Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890-1998): Author and activist, she worked as a writer for the Miami Herald. She was known as the mother of the Everglades and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993 for her efforts to protect the Everglades.
• Betty Mae Tiger Jumper (1923-2011): Was a nurse, storyteller, and the first Chairwoman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Was one of the first two Seminoles to earn a high school diploma in 1945 and was later appointed to the National Council on Indian Opportunity in 1970 by President Nixon.

Interested in learning more about women who changed Florida and influenced our own communities? Check out the Florida Women of Impact booklist elsewhere in this newsletter for a list of available library titles.

This month, celebrate the inspiring women in your life and community.