Ernest Cushing Richardson
Ernest Cushing Richardson | |
---|---|
President of the American Library Association | |
In office 1904–1905 | |
Preceded by | Herbert Putnam |
Succeeded by | Frank Pierce Hill |
Personal details | |
Born | Angina pectoris | February 9, 1860
Resting place | Lyme, Connecticut, USA |
Spouse |
Grace Duncan Ely
(m. 1891; died 1933) |
Education | Amherst College |
Occupation | Librarian |
Ernest Cushing Richardson (February 9, 1860 – June 3, 1939)[1] was an American librarian, theologian and scholar. Throughout his life Richardson strived to make advances in cataloging systems and increased access to necessary research materials in U.S. libraries. He was named one of the "100 Most Important Leaders [Librarians] had in the 20th Century" by American Libraries in 1999.[2]
Early life and education
Richardson was born into a middle-class family in Woburn, Massachusetts. His father, James Cushing, and mother, Lydia Bartlett Taylor Richardson, were of English descent. As a child, Ernest has been described as athletic. He was most passionate about baseball, ice skating and hiking and continued to enjoy them throughout his life.
Richardson began his higher education at
Richardson was promoted to assistant librarian at Amherst during his senior year. Throughout his academic career he maintained a good grade-point average, so that when he graduated on July 2, 1880, he did so with Phi Beta Kappa honors.[1]
Hartford Theological Seminary
After graduating from Amherst, Richardson accepted a part-time position at
Princeton years
Following years of service to the library at Hartford Theological Seminary, Richardson accepted a position at Princeton University, then known as The College of New Jersey. Richardson had been offered jobs on numerous occasions, however his commitment to the Hartford Theological Seminary, and his own personal commitment to his religious studies made the positions unappealing until promises of wage raises were not fulfilled. Princeton University offered Richardson a salary that doubled his wages at the Hartford Theological Seminary Library. Richardson accepted the position at Princeton in 1890. The following year Richardson married Grace Duncan Ely on June 30. Her father was a wealthy New York coffee broker and the inheritance Grace received after her father's death enabled Richardson to remain semi-independent of his salary for the remainder of his life.
While at Princeton, Richardson was able to increase the library's collection and facilities several times. He was also able to conduct experiments in cataloging. One of these experiments was his “Title-a-Bar” theory, in which books were given a single line for their title on book lists and subject lists. Richardson believed that the time saved in looking through catalogs at a single line and cataloging new texts with a single line increased productivity and allowed resources to be entered into the library system and accessed more easily.[1]
Unfortunately, not everyone at Princeton agreed with Richardson's method of cataloging. His system, often referred to as the “Princeton System” relied on whole numbers and minute specifications for classification, resulting in a lengthy cataloging number.[3] And, after many years of service to the Princeton University faculty, staff and students, Richardson was confronted with a group of opposing faculty, who believed that Richardson was not properly performing his duties and that funds were being disposed of inefficiently. A committee was formed to investigate these accusations, of which Richardson was cleared, and it was recommended that the school give the library more funds. This positive opinion did not last, and J.T. Gerould was appointed librarian and the new position of director was created for Richardson without a salary increase. Tensions grew when Richardson traveled abroad and was docked part of his salary, even though he carried out work for the library and had always been compensated previously. To make matters worse, Gerould changed Richardson's “Title-a-Bar” and “Princeton System” to “Full-form” cataloging and the “Library of Congress System,” while Richardson was abroad. Conflicts between Gerould and Richardson continued and, in 1925, Richardson retired from Princeton and accepted an offer from the Library of Congress as an Honorary Consultant in Bibliography.[1]
Princeton libraries stopped using Richardson's method for new acquisitions in the 1960s. In 2010, the
Later years
Richardson worked for the Library of Congress as a consultant without compensation until 1934, at which point several conflicts and his unwillingness to compromise demanded his resignation from the Library of Congress, the American Library Association in 1934, the
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8108-2672-4.
- ^ Kniffel, Sullivan, & McCormick. "100 of the Most Important Leaders We had in the 20th Century". American Libraries, 1999, p. 38-48.
- ^ Richardson, Ernest C. “Classification: Theoretical and Practical”. H.W. WilsonCo, 1935.
- ^ Bernstein, Mark F. (November 17, 2010). "Firestone phasing out a uniquely Princeton way to classify books". Princeton Alumni Weekly. 111 (4).
External links
- Works by or about Ernest Cushing Richardson at Internet Archive
- Ernest Cushing Richardson at Find a Grave
- Outline of Richardson Classification [comp. by Ruth N. Latshaw]. New Jersey: N.p., 1963. Print.