Herbert Putnam
Encyclopedia
Herbert Putnam was an American lawyer
, publisher, and librarian
. He was the eighth (and also the longest serving) Librarian of the United States Congress
from 1899 to 1939.
– “at 107 East Seventeenth Street” -- on September 21st, 1861, and was the sixth son and tenth child of Victorine and George Palmer Putnam
. “The father, one-time collector of internal revenue in New York by appointment of Abraham Lincoln, was the founder of a well known publishing house” , known previously as the Putnam Publishing house, but now known as G. P. Putnam's Sons
.
In 1886, Herbert Putnam married Charlotte Elizabeth Munroe of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and together they had two daughters, Shirley and Brenda Putnam
. Brenda Putnam grew up to become a celebrated sculptor in the early 20th century, highly known for her “children, cherubs
, and garden ornaments.”
Throughout Herbert Putnam’s career, he was described by his colleagues as maintaining “an impenetrable dignity…formal manner, invariable gracious and cordial, covered shyness and a deep reserve. He had few intimates, even among his closest colleagues, but he was fond of good company and good conversation” as well being “painfully modest, a family man who had an unreciprocated view of his staff as family.”
He died at his home in Woods Hole, Massachusetts
, on August 14, 1955.
in 1883, Putnam spent the following year at Columbia University Law School. Eventually, however, his interest in administrative work led him to the Minneapolis Athenaeum where he served as librarian in 1887, until it merged into the Minneapolis Public Library
in 1888. Putnam was elected city librarian of the Minneapolis Public Library at that time and served while simultaneously being admitted to the Minnesota bar of Law. According to the Honorable Lawrence Lewis of Colorado at a Tribute for Putnam in 1939, Putnam at this time “modernized antiquated methods, revised the charging records of books on loan, inaugurated a new system of cataloging and classification, opened the alcoves to readers, [and] insisted that ‘there are two great problems of library management – one to get the books for the readers, the other to get the readers to the books.’”
In 1891, Putnam resigned his Minneapolis post due to his mother-in-law’s ill health, and promptly returned to Boston to be near her. Putnam “was admitted to the Suffolk
bar, and practiced law in Boston
until the 18th of February 1895” when he was appointed Librarian of the Boston Public Library
. During his tenure at the Boston Public Library “there were 9 branches and 12 delivery stations. At the end of his four years there were 10 branches, 5 minor branches, called ‘reading rooms,’ and 56 deposit stations…the library grew from a total of 610,375 volumes at the close of 1894 to 716,050 at the close of 1898.” Another contribution made by Putnam towards the Boston Public Library was the addition of a room devoted to juveniles, “believed to have been the first room wholly devoted to the service of children in any of the larger libraries of the country.”
led him to join with Justin Winsor
and Melvil Dewey
as official delegates to the International Conference of Librarians in London in 1897 When Winsor died shortly thereafter, Putnam served the remainder of his term as President of the ALA.
John Russell Young
died in January 1899, and “President William McKinley
found himself faced with the responsibility of appointing a Librarian of Congress who should preside over the affairs of the institution whose building had been completed but [two] years ago.” President McKinley requested Herbert Putnam to be appointed to the task, and Putnam was officially confirmed to the duties of Librarian of Congress on December 12th, 1899.
– the newly appointed library for the Library of Congress. However, Putnam was well aware of what needed to be done. “In October 1899 Putnam requested a $190,000 increase in the budget for fiscal 1901. If Congress consented, the 1899 LC budget would nearly double and that for 1900 would be increased by 60 percent. Declaring that the collections were deficient in many respects, [Putnam] asked for $50,000 to purchase new material, more than twice the 1899 appropriation
. In summation, the first task of Putnam's administration was to organize all materials of the Library of Congress so they may be used efficiently by the public.
Putnam’s request was granted by the United States Congress
, and thus an appropriation bill was passed on April 17th, 1900. Although Putnam’s administration would need time in order to collect, organize, and disseminate all of the material within the Library of Congress’ collection, the task was completed with enormous success. “By 1924 the first objective had been won with – 1) All spaces in the building duly differentiated and equipped for specialized, as well as general, uses.
2) The specialized material installed in appropriate cases.
3) A scheme of classification, systematic and elastic, with an appropriate nomenclature.
4) Adoption of processes of cataloging, including forms of entry, now standardized for American libraries.
5) Actual application of the classification and cataloging to a large portion of the collection of printed books.”
Putnam during this time also introduced a new system of classifying books that continues to this day, known as the Library of Congress classification
. He also established an interlibrary loan
system, and expanded the Library of Congress's role and relationships with other libraries, through the provision of centralized services. He was elected an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1902.
of San Antonio, Texas
, suggested to Putnam that the Library of Congress cooperate with other libraries to send books to American soldiers.”
Initially, Putnam was not interested in the wholesale distribution of books to American troops simply due to the lack of interest. However, when attention arose that the British War Library Service in London were performing similar duties to their troops, measures were quickly devised by Putnam, the ALA, and Congress to enact such a program to the American military branches. “Aided by a grant of $320,000 from the Carnegie Corporation, the War Service built thirty-six libraries, completing the majority by February 1918. But with so much invested in buildings, little money remained for books or administration…Putnam took the matter up directly with the War Department and obtained assurances that the government would provide utilities. He appealed to ALA members to donate books and volunteer for service, and by June 1918 the association had purchased 300,000 books, sent 1,349,000 gift books to camps, and distributed 500,000 magazines.” In the time after World War I
, the services of the Library of Congress towards the war effort provided a new outlook for the American public on the possibilities of what a successful library could accomplish. In other words, the contributions made by the Library of Congress in that time gave “librarians ‘a new conception of what a truly national library could be' and added one more item ‘to the long list of benefits for which American libraries have to thank the Library and the Librarian, of Congress.”
Herbert Putnam was followed in 1939 by Archibald MacLeish
, who served from 1939 until 1944.
}}
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, publisher, and librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
. He was the eighth (and also the longest serving) Librarian of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
from 1899 to 1939.
Biography
George Herbert Putnam was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
– “at 107 East Seventeenth Street” -- on September 21st, 1861, and was the sixth son and tenth child of Victorine and George Palmer Putnam
George Palmer Putnam
George Palmer Putnam was an important American book publisher.-Biography:Putnam was born in Brunswick, Maine. On moving to New York City, Putnam was given his first job by Jonathan Leavitt, who subsequently published Putnam's first book...
. “The father, one-time collector of internal revenue in New York by appointment of Abraham Lincoln, was the founder of a well known publishing house” , known previously as the Putnam Publishing house, but now known as G. P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. Putnam's Sons was a major United States book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group.-History:...
.
In 1886, Herbert Putnam married Charlotte Elizabeth Munroe of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and together they had two daughters, Shirley and Brenda Putnam
Brenda Putnam
Brenda Putnam Noted American sculptor and author. Born into a well connected family, she was the daughter of Herbert Putnam and granddaughter of George Palmer Putnam.Her work can be seen at Syracuse University's Carnegie Library....
. Brenda Putnam grew up to become a celebrated sculptor in the early 20th century, highly known for her “children, cherubs
CHERUBS
CHERUBS is a Non-Profit Organization. It was founded in February, 1995 for families of children born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, a severe and often lethal birth defect. It was founded and currently led by Dawn M...
, and garden ornaments.”
Throughout Herbert Putnam’s career, he was described by his colleagues as maintaining “an impenetrable dignity…formal manner, invariable gracious and cordial, covered shyness and a deep reserve. He had few intimates, even among his closest colleagues, but he was fond of good company and good conversation” as well being “painfully modest, a family man who had an unreciprocated view of his staff as family.”
He died at his home in Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands...
, on August 14, 1955.
Early career
After graduating magna cum laude from Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1883, Putnam spent the following year at Columbia University Law School. Eventually, however, his interest in administrative work led him to the Minneapolis Athenaeum where he served as librarian in 1887, until it merged into the Minneapolis Public Library
Minneapolis Public Library
The Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center was a library system serving the residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. It was founded as the publicly traded Minneapolis Athenæum in 1860 and became a free public library in 1885 founded by T. B. Walker...
in 1888. Putnam was elected city librarian of the Minneapolis Public Library at that time and served while simultaneously being admitted to the Minnesota bar of Law. According to the Honorable Lawrence Lewis of Colorado at a Tribute for Putnam in 1939, Putnam at this time “modernized antiquated methods, revised the charging records of books on loan, inaugurated a new system of cataloging and classification, opened the alcoves to readers, [and] insisted that ‘there are two great problems of library management – one to get the books for the readers, the other to get the readers to the books.’”
In 1891, Putnam resigned his Minneapolis post due to his mother-in-law’s ill health, and promptly returned to Boston to be near her. Putnam “was admitted to the Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
bar, and practiced law in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
until the 18th of February 1895” when he was appointed Librarian of the Boston Public Library
Boston Public Library
The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was the first publicly supported municipal library in the United States, the first large library open to the public in the United States, and the first public library to allow people to...
. During his tenure at the Boston Public Library “there were 9 branches and 12 delivery stations. At the end of his four years there were 10 branches, 5 minor branches, called ‘reading rooms,’ and 56 deposit stations…the library grew from a total of 610,375 volumes at the close of 1894 to 716,050 at the close of 1898.” Another contribution made by Putnam towards the Boston Public Library was the addition of a room devoted to juveniles, “believed to have been the first room wholly devoted to the service of children in any of the larger libraries of the country.”
Induction
Putnam’s activities with the American Library AssociationAmerican Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
led him to join with Justin Winsor
Justin Winsor
Justin Winsor was a prominent American writer, librarian, and historian.-Background and education:Winsor was born in Boston, Massachusetts, son of Nathaniel Winsor III and Ann Thomas Howland Winsor...
and Melvil Dewey
Melvil Dewey
Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey was an American librarian and educator, inventor of the Dewey Decimal system of library classification, and a founder of the Lake Placid Club....
as official delegates to the International Conference of Librarians in London in 1897 When Winsor died shortly thereafter, Putnam served the remainder of his term as President of the ALA.
John Russell Young
John Russell Young
John Russell Young was an American journalist, author, diplomat, and the seventh Librarian of the United States Congress from 1897 to 1899.-Biography:...
died in January 1899, and “President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
found himself faced with the responsibility of appointing a Librarian of Congress who should preside over the affairs of the institution whose building had been completed but [two] years ago.” President McKinley requested Herbert Putnam to be appointed to the task, and Putnam was officially confirmed to the duties of Librarian of Congress on December 12th, 1899.
The systemization of a public institution
Upon the confirmation of Putnam to his appointed duty of Librarian of Congress, one daunting task Putnam faced from the onset was the sheer volume of materials that had to be reorganized for the newly opened Thomas Jefferson BuildingThomas Jefferson Building
The oldest of the three United States Library of Congress buildings, the Thomas Jefferson Building was built between 1890 and 1897. It is known for its classicizing facade and elaborately decorated interior. John L. Smithmeyer and Paul J...
– the newly appointed library for the Library of Congress. However, Putnam was well aware of what needed to be done. “In October 1899 Putnam requested a $190,000 increase in the budget for fiscal 1901. If Congress consented, the 1899 LC budget would nearly double and that for 1900 would be increased by 60 percent. Declaring that the collections were deficient in many respects, [Putnam] asked for $50,000 to purchase new material, more than twice the 1899 appropriation
Appropriation
Appropriation is the act of taking possession of or assigning purpose to properties or ideas. The word appropriation was first used by a Russian theorist named Bakhtin to describe a holistic language theory. The Russian word for appropriation is prisvoenie, which directly translated means ‘to make...
. In summation, the first task of Putnam's administration was to organize all materials of the Library of Congress so they may be used efficiently by the public.
Putnam’s request was granted by the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, and thus an appropriation bill was passed on April 17th, 1900. Although Putnam’s administration would need time in order to collect, organize, and disseminate all of the material within the Library of Congress’ collection, the task was completed with enormous success. “By 1924 the first objective had been won with – 1) All spaces in the building duly differentiated and equipped for specialized, as well as general, uses.
2) The specialized material installed in appropriate cases.
3) A scheme of classification, systematic and elastic, with an appropriate nomenclature.
4) Adoption of processes of cataloging, including forms of entry, now standardized for American libraries.
5) Actual application of the classification and cataloging to a large portion of the collection of printed books.”
Putnam during this time also introduced a new system of classifying books that continues to this day, known as the Library of Congress classification
Library of Congress Classification
The Library of Congress Classification is a system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress. It is used by most research and academic libraries in the U.S. and several other countries; for example, Australia and Taiwan, R.O.C. It is not to be confused with the Library of...
. He also established an interlibrary loan
Interlibrary loan
Interlibrary loan is a service whereby a user of one library can borrow books or receive photocopies of documents that are owned by another library...
system, and expanded the Library of Congress's role and relationships with other libraries, through the provision of centralized services. He was elected an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1902.
War-time service
In July 1916, “former LC staff member Elizabeth West, director of the Carnegie LibraryCarnegie Library
Carnegie Library, Carnegie Public Library, Carnegie Free Library, Carnegie Free Public Library, Andrew Carnegie Library, Andrew Carnegie Free Library or Carnegie Library Building may refer to any of the following Carnegie libraries:- California :*Carnegie Library , listed on the National Register...
of San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, suggested to Putnam that the Library of Congress cooperate with other libraries to send books to American soldiers.”
Initially, Putnam was not interested in the wholesale distribution of books to American troops simply due to the lack of interest. However, when attention arose that the British War Library Service in London were performing similar duties to their troops, measures were quickly devised by Putnam, the ALA, and Congress to enact such a program to the American military branches. “Aided by a grant of $320,000 from the Carnegie Corporation, the War Service built thirty-six libraries, completing the majority by February 1918. But with so much invested in buildings, little money remained for books or administration…Putnam took the matter up directly with the War Department and obtained assurances that the government would provide utilities. He appealed to ALA members to donate books and volunteer for service, and by June 1918 the association had purchased 300,000 books, sent 1,349,000 gift books to camps, and distributed 500,000 magazines.” In the time after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the services of the Library of Congress towards the war effort provided a new outlook for the American public on the possibilities of what a successful library could accomplish. In other words, the contributions made by the Library of Congress in that time gave “librarians ‘a new conception of what a truly national library could be' and added one more item ‘to the long list of benefits for which American libraries have to thank the Library and the Librarian, of Congress.”
Retirement
Herbert Putnam’s administration as Librarian of Congress lasted for forty years, from 1899 until 1939. It was clear Putnam was not willing to withdraw completely from the world of librarianship, stating “I would willingly surrender the administration, if that course would serve the interest of the library and I could feel assured as to my successor.” Putnam provided the suggestion of “Librarian Emeritus” be developed as his new official title, with an honorarium of one-half of his original salary. On October 1, 1939, Putnam retired as the 8th Librarian of Congress with that title, and he “continued to contribute to the Library, keeping regular office hours for the next 15 years.”Herbert Putnam was followed in 1939 by Archibald MacLeish
Archibald MacLeish
Archibald MacLeish was an American poet, writer, and the Librarian of Congress. He is associated with the Modernist school of poetry. He received three Pulitzer Prizes for his work.-Early years:...
, who served from 1939 until 1944.
External links
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