Cincinnati's Illustrious Librarians

In the 19th century, Cincinnati came to be known as the literary emporium and “Athens” of the West due to its emergence as a book-publishing center. Moreover, several noteworthy libraries, such as the Mercantile Library, the Public Library, and the University of Cincinnati Library, had emerged at that time. It is, therefore, not altogether surprising that the paths of some of America’s foremost librarians would cross in Cincinnati. Two of the most important were Ainsworth Rand Spofford (1825-1908) and William Frederick Poole (1821-1908), both of whom had Cincinnati connections and made major contributions to the world of learning and libraries.

Ainsworth Rand Spofford

Born in New Hampshire, Ainsworth Rand Spofford moved to Cincinnati at age 19 to enter the burgeoning book trade as a bookseller. Whenever possible, he spent his time at the newly formed Cincinnati Public Library. His writing abilities became readily apparent after he obtained a position as associate editor of the Cincinnati Commercial in 1859. Active in the community, Spofford joined the Cincinnati Literary Club.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, his newspaper dispatched him to Washington, D.C. Spofford spent his free time at the Library of Congress, which he made his office. While working there, he became acquainted with the Librarian of Congress, Dr. John C. Stephenson, whose brother Spofford had known in Cincinnati as a fellow member of the Literary Club. Stephenson took a liking to Spofford and offered him a position as his chief assistant, which Spofford enthusiastically accepted.

Spofford’s responsibilities increased when Stephenson left the library for the military. When Stephenson suddenly resigned in 1864, Spofford saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and launched an active campaign for the position, obtaining letters of recommendation from 22 U.S. senators and 87 U.S. representatives. Deeply preoccupied with the Civil War, President Lincoln found no one with the experience and support that Spofford had galvanized, and appointed him Librarian of Congress on December 31, 1864.

Spofford held the position until 1897, and from then on until his death in 1908 served as chief assistant to the Librarian of Congress – an amazing 44 years of service. Spofford was a man on a mission, which he followed with a passion. His main goal was to make the Library of Congress “the” national library, and one that he called “the book palace of the American people.” Today, the Library of Congress is widely recognized as the national library, but it was Spofford who made it a reality.

Among Spofford’s major achievements were expanding the collections of the Library of Congress from a mere 70,000 to more than one million. Moreover, he was responsible for the legislation that made the Library the center of copyright registration, thus ensuring it would have two copies of all recently published books. He also orchestrated the transfer of 40,000 volumes from the Smithsonian, which had previously been the chief contender with the Library of Congress as the site of the national library.

Perhaps Spofford’s greatest achievement was convincing Congress that it should appropriate the necessary funds to construct the Thomas Jefferson Building for the Library of Congress. When the building was completed in 1897, he chose the quotations for inscriptions on the building. One particularly noteworthy one was from Carlyle, “The true university of these days is a collection of books.”

William Frederick Poole

William Frederick Poole was a scholar-librarian with the distinction of having served as president of both the American Library Association and the American Historical Association. Born in Salem, MA, Poole served as librarian of the literary society The Brothers of Unity while a student at Yale University. After examining the society’s large periodical collection he decided to index it, thus publishing An Alphabetical Index to Subjects Treated in the Reviews and Other Periodicals, to which No Indexes Have Been Published. The value and importance of his index was immediately recognized on both sides of the Atlantic and catapulted Poole to international acclaim.

Poole’s index could probably be best described as the “mother” of all periodical indexes as it led to the publication of similar indices in almost every imaginable field. In 1853, he published a second edition, and in 1882 a third. Supplements appeared into the 20th century, and in 1999, Poole’s Plus: The Digital Index of the Nineteenth Century was created as an online source that provides access to Poole’s index and “enlarges the scope of the original Poole’s by adding dozens of indices to periodicals, books, newspapers, and government documents.” A review in the New York Times called Poole’s original index a “really very important book, and we can only wonder how…we have managed to do without it. It is henceforth one of the most indispensables of student life, a contribution to literature which enforces its own value like, an almanac, a directory, or a concordance…Henceforward Mr. Poole’s name can never be pronounced without respect.”

In a career that was as stellar as it was stunning, Poole swiftly advanced through various posts, making significant contributions wherever he went. From 1851 to 1869 he held various library positions in Boston before coming to Cincinnati to head the public library where he remained until 1887 when he took on the task of organizing the Newberry Library in Chicago, where he remained until his death. What did results-oriented Poole accomplish in Cincinnati?

In 1870, a new building for the Public Library was dedicated with many innovations pioneered by Poole, including Sunday hours, a service that had been blocked in “Puritan” Boston; and an Art Department that most likely was the first subject department in an American public library.

Aside from these accomplishments, Poole was actively involved in the community as a member of the Cincinnati Literary Club where he delivered lectures on various topics. One was published as Anti-Slavery Opinions Before the Year 1800: Read Before the Cincinnati Literary Club, November 16, 1872.

Poole’s belief in the importance of libraries was well known and reflected in his writings. In an address on “The University and the University Curriculum” he said “the study of bibliography and of the scientific method of using books should have an assured place in the university curriculum,” and “that a wise and professional bibliographer should be a member of the faculty and have a part in training all the students.” He felt that the library should serve as the university’s classroom “and that all who go forth into the world as graduates should have such an intelligent and practical knowledge of books as will aid them in their studies through life, and the use of books be to them a perpetual delight and refreshment.”

Other illustrious librarians from the region could be mentioned, but this brief survey demonstrates the wide-ranging influence two fascinating men on the world of learning and libraries.

Read more about Ainsworth Rand Spofford and Frederick Poole.

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