Ralph Munn
Encyclopedia
Ralph W. Munn was an eminent figure in the field of American and international library and information science
Library and information science
Library and information science is a merging of the two fields library science and information science...

. Recognized by the journal American Libraries
American Libraries
American Libraries is the official news and features magazine of the American Library Association. Published six times per year, along with four additional digital-only supplements, it is distributed to all members of the organization...

as one of “100 of the most important leaders we had in the 20th century”, and described as an "administrator, educator, and author...known for his fairness, clarity, and grace", he was also widely known within the profession as “the father of the modern library movement in Australia and New Zealand”.

Early life

Although born in Aurora, Illinois
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...

 on September 19, 1894, Munn was raised in Colorado, where he eventually received both his bachelor and law degrees from the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....

 in 1916 and 1917, respectively. After a two-year stint with the U.S. Army in France, he received his B.L.S.
Bachelor of Library Science
The bachelor of library science is a degree sometimes awarded to students majoring in library science...

 degree from New York State Library School at Albany in 1921. Thereafter, worked as a librarian at the Seattle Public Library
Seattle Public Library
The Seattle Public Library is the public library system serving Seattle, Washington, USA. It was officially established by the city in 1890, though there had been efforts to start a Seattle library as early as 1868. There are 26 branches in the system, most of them named after the neighborhoods in...

 in Washington state and later at the Flint Public Library
Flint Public Library
The Charles Flint Public Library is a historic library at 2 N. Main Street in Middleton, Massachusetts.Funded by a posthumously donated grant from writer and agriculturalist Charles L. Flint, it was built in 1890 and later added to the National Historic Register in 2002.-External links:*...

 in Michigan, before finally accepting the position of Director of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is the public library system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its main branch is located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and it has 19 branch locations throughout the city...

, from 1928–1964, during which time he also served as Director, then Dean, of the Carnegie Library School of Carnegie Institute of Technology
Carnegie Institute of Technology
The Carnegie Institute of Technology , is the name for Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering. It was first called the Carnegie Technical Schools, or Carnegie Tech, when it was founded in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie who intended to build a “first class technical school” in Pittsburgh,...

.

Professional career

The highlights of Munn’s contributions to his field during his tenure as Director of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh can be summarized chiefly as the perpetration of the idea of the public library as “educational, informational, and cultural”, the expansion and unification of library services, and his influence in establishing an American-modeled library system and professional librarianship in Australia and New Zealand.

Controversial policy

Munn’s view of the library as “educational, informational, and cultural” sparked controversy. His preference for a high-quality collection over popularly requested materials led to a “revised book selection policy that sharply defined and limited the purchase of ‘light, recreational fiction’ and effectively eliminated the acquisition of books that he categorized as ‘shopping bag fiction’.” This choice significantly benefited the reputation of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, but brought into question problematic and complex issues that still affect the field today, e.g., neutrality in acquisitions, the role of the librarian in acquiring popular vs. “educational” or “literary” materials, etc.

Expansion and unification of library services

Munn “expressed grave concern over the great masses without ready access to public library services”, reaching out in particular to young people and rural areas through bookmobile
Bookmobile
A bookmobile or mobile library is a large vehicle designed for use as a library. It is designed to hold books on shelves so that when the vehicle is parked the books can be accessed by readers. It usually has enough space for people to sit and read books inside. Mobile libraries are often used to...

 services and free borrowing privileges. He was also lauded for his role in the 1956 merger of the Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny
Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny
The Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny is situated in the Allegheny Center neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Donated to the public by entrepreneur Andrew Carnegie and built in 1889, it was the second Carnegie library in the United States...

 and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

However, Munn’s role in expanding and unifying library services was also not without criticism. One critic of Munn’s 1936 pamphlet Conditions and Trends in Education for Librarianship contended that Munn, at that time considered a progressive in the field, essentially was too conservative in his views on limiting advanced technical training for graduate school librarians, making the point that “as long as he [Munn] limits library training...to contemporary library practices and existing library forms, he definitely omits consideration of the non-serviced areas and groups.”

In future writings, however, Munn seemed to look beyond the historical limitations of the library system into a present and future rapidly changing due to technological innovations. In a 1954 essay, he acknowledged that “the large library must have some staff members whose expertness in personnel management, public relations, audio-visual materials and equipment, adult education, and the public school curriculum is far more important than absorption in purely cultural interests.” In addition to his revised views on the training and role of librarians, the essay brought into question the role of books and libraries themselves in the lives of the changing public. Indeed, if the following passage were altered to reflect 21st century technology terminology, Munn would seem to be speaking directly to today’s librarians:

With entertainment and information available in every man’s living room by the mere turning of a knob, or at the nearest newsstand at modest cost, there is little incentive for the casual reader to go to a somewhat distant library for a book. The librarian can no longer win success for his library by simply providing a stack of readable books.

Work in Australia and New Zealand

In 1934, Munn was commissioned by the Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York, which was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 "to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding," is one of the oldest, largest and most influential of American foundations...

 to conduct a survey of public libraries in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, which he did in conjunction with Ernest Pitt, then Chief Librarian of the Public Library of Victoria. The resulting Munn-Pitt Report had a major impact in Australia. In an article published in the Australian Library Journal evaluating the survey’s impact, the author states that “the key recommendations of the Munn-Pitt report were easily identified by its lay readers: 1. to establish tax-supported municipal ‘free libraries’; and 2. to strengthen and extend librarianship by professionalizing the training and registration of librarians.”

Munn certainly did his part to assist in the latter recommendation, drafting a number of young Australian professionals to work in American libraries and assisting them however possible. One such librarian recalled Munn in a positive light, saying, “Not only did he make places on his staff available, he also took a personal interest in each Australian ‘incumbent’, ensuring that, at all times, they were treated in the same way as their American colleagues, in such matters as salary and staff activities.”

The assistance of these predominantly female librarians also brings into focus an uncannily prescient viewpoint that Munn established in an aptly titled Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...

essay, “It Is a Mistake to Recruit Men”. Just after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, there was a great increase in men looking for jobs, and Munn was of the opinion that in the case of jobs in the library field, these men were “simply looking for a secure and not too difficult job.” Recruiting men into the field, continued Munn, would
...operate against the profession, both by filling it with men of mediocre caliber and by discouraging the entrance of superior women... Throughout the predictable future, it is sure to be mainly a woman’s occupation. It should, therefore, be kept attractive to the ablest of women.

Legacy

Munn’s tenure at the Carnegie Public Library ended upon his October 1, 1964 retirement. He passed away in Pittsburgh on January 2, 1975. In recognition of his authorship and outreach and development of services directed at young people, the annual "Ralph Munn Creative Writing Contest" has been established in his name at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

Honors and accomplishments

In his career, Munn earned a number of honors, including:
  • Pennsylvania Library Association
    Pennsylvania Library Association
    The Pennsylvania Library Association is the professional association for librarians in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It represents about 2,000 members affiliated with public, academic, special, and school libraries throughout the state, and was founded in 1901.Located in Harrisburg, PaLA...

     President, 1930-31
  • American Library Association
    American 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....

     President, 1939-40
  • Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws, 1940, University of Pittsburgh
    University of Pittsburgh
    The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...

  • Distinguished Service Award, 1959, Pennsylvania Library Association
  • Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws, 1960, Waynesburg College in Pennsylvania
  • Director Emeritus, 1964, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
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