Are you a library lover? Why not show it by naming your baby after a notable librarian or fellow library-lover, such as:
Thomas
- English diplomat Thomas Bodley began reviving Oxford’s (nearly defunct) library in 1598. It was reopened as the Bodleian Library in November of 1602.
- English librarian Thomas James was the first librarian of the Bodleian Library.
Louis
Dutch printer Louis Timothee became the first salaried librarian in the American colonies in 1732.
Gottfried
Austrian diplomat and librarian Gottfried van Swieten created the world’s first card catalog at Austria’s Imperial Library, circa 1780.
Anthony and Antonio
Italian-born librarian Anthony Panizzi (originally Antonio Genesio Maria Panizzi) was Chief Librarian of the British Museum Library during the mid-1800s.
Melvil
American librarian Melvil Dewey (born Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey) invented the Dewey Decimal Classification system as a 21-year-old, in 1876.
“Keenly interested in simplified spelling, he shortened his first name to Melvil as a young adult, dropped his middle names and, for a short time, even spelled his last name as Dui” (OCLC).
Charles
American librarian Charles A. Cutter developed the Cutter Expansive Classification system in the 1890s.
William
American librarian William Dix was the principle author of The Freedom to Read, which was adopted by the American Library Association in 1953.
Henriette
American systems analyst Henriette Davidson Avram developed the MARC standards in the late 1960s.
Zoia
Ukrainian-American librarian Zoia Horn was the first U.S. librarian to be jailed for withholding information as a matter of conscience (by refusing to testify against library patrons, in 1972).
Judith
American librarian and anti-censorship activist Judith Fingeret Krug co-founded Banned Books Week in 1982.
Librarians of Congress
There have been 13 so far. Four were named John. The others were named Ainsworth, Daniel, George, Herbert, James, Lawrence, Luther, Patrick and Archibald. (That last one was three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Archibald MacLeish.)
And now, the same two questions as always:
- Can you come up with any other library-related baby names?
- What interests/activities should we namestorm about next?
Sources: List of Librarians, Library of Congress
These are some pretty unique names. I have heard of a couple of these but for the most part..I have never heard a few of them. Very interesting!
Interesting names.
There’s Nancy Pearl, the well known librarian who has her own action figure. A great reason to use the name Pearl!
I am a bit disappointed that all the Librarians of Congress have been men, though!
@Clancy August – A librarian with an action figure! Too cool. Here’s a link to Nancy Pearl’s site — it looks like two versions of the action figure are available.
Sarah Thomas is the first American and first woman to lead the Bodleian.
St. Lawrence is the patron saint of libraries and archives.