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Justin Winsor, a founder and first president of the American Library Association from 1876-1885, was instrumental in the promotion of the library career as a profession. Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1831, his family background is one of upper-class. Winsor did not become involved in the library field until his late thirties when he was appointed a position on the Boston Public Library Board of Trustees. His first significant job in the library field was as superintendent of the Boston Public Library where he was instrumental in increasing the number of books the library owned and reducing the number of days that the library was closed to patrons. After becoming the librarian at Harvard, Winsor created the reserve system to encourage the use of library materials in the university classrooms. He also developed the inter-library-loan system while at Harvard. His focus was to promote the use of libraries. Justin Winsor died at the age of sixty-six in 1897.

back to 1870s

written by: Deanna Olson