Herbert Putnam

Herbert Putnam (September 20 1861 – August 14 1955) was Librarian of Congress.

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He was born in New York City, where his father George Palmer Putnam was a noted publisher. He graduated from Harvard in 1883, studied law at Columbia, and was admitted to the bar in 1886. He was librarian at the Minneapolis Athenaeum, 1884-1887, and the Minneapolis Public Library, 1887-1891. He practised law in Boston, 1892-1895, and was librarian of the Boston Public Library, 1895-1899 where he did much to improve that library's collection of photographs.

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Herbert Putnam was appointed elected president of the American Library Association in 1898 and again in 1904, and was appointed Librarian of Congress in 1899 by President William McKinley. He was the first experienced librarian to hold the post. He held the post until 1939 when he retired with the title of librarian emeritus to be succeeded by the poet Archibald MacLeish. Early during his administration, Putnam introduced a new system of classifying books, that continues to this day as the Library of Congress classification. He also established an interlibrary loan system, and expanded the Library of Congress's role and relationships with other libraries, through the provision of centralized services.

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He became an overseer of Harvard University in 1902 and in 1925 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

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He died in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. His daughter, Brenda Putnam (1890-1975), was an award-winning sculptor.

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Adapted from The Americana.

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September 20: September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). There are 102 days remaining....

1861: 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday....

August 14: August 14 is the 226th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (227th in leap years), with 139 days remaining....

Herbert Putnam related Images and Photos (experimental)

Herbert Lom	Herbert Lom	Herbert Perry	Ex-Pres. Herbert C. Hoover Attending Gop Convention
Edward Herbert 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury circa 1610-14 (Miniature)	Double Feature: Big Hearted Herbert / Merry Frinks (2 DVDs)	Philip Herbert 4th Earl of Pembroke circa 1615	Outcast Lady Herbert Marshall Constance Bennett 1934
Kay Francis and Herbert Marshall: Haute Pègre 1932	Greta Garbo and Herbert Marshall: The Painted Veil 1934	The Great Victor Herbert 1939	Illustrations for Herbert Asquith's Poem 'Hairy Dog'