Justin Winsor
Encyclopedia
Justin Winsor was a prominent American
writer, librarian, and historian.
, is now the headquarters of the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society. Justin Winsor graduated from the Boston Latin School
. He entered Harvard
, but left early to study in Paris
and Heidelberg
. He did finally receive his degree in 1853. He died in Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
. They had two children, Mary (b. 1860) who died in infancy, and Constance (c. 1861-1895).
. As a member of the Boston Brahmins, Winsor found an opportunity to engage in social reform while pursuing intellectual interests. He reflected the Brahmins’ strong belief in self-help, uplift, and social progress. They espoused the Socratic idea that knowledge creates virtue and Winsor saw the public library as a way to educate common people so that the traditional order of the republic would be maintained.
At Boston Public Library, Winsor undertook many projects used to track and help library use. He employed innovative statistical analysis of the library’s use and used the finding to promote the idea that libraries were not just institutions and repositories of books, but were a process. He also dedicated a great deal of attention to the compilation of bibliographies and guides to public reading. Also, Winsor annotated the catalog to give it an education character. In an effort to increase book use, he worked for the establishment of branch libraries, extended hours, and relaxed restrictions on use.
In 1877, following a struggle with Alderman Hugh O'Brien
over the professionalism of library management, Winsor left Boston Public Library to become Librarian of Harvard University, where he served until his death. In his dual career as librarian-historian, he was a prototype of the ideal academic librarian.
Winsor came to Harvard at a time when research was gaining emphasis. Faculty and students assumed ready access to large collections. Winsor wanted to make the library the center of the university. In this effort, he pushed for more books and greater accessibility, improved the catalog, informed faculty of new acquisitions, liberalized the library use policy, instituted a reserve system, and wrangled with administration over the installation of electric lights for extended hours. During this time, he also influenced the field though reports when library literature was scarce.
Winsor was also a founder of the American Library Association
and the Library Journal, serving as president of the ALA from 1876 through 1885. In this position, he emphasized the need for trained professionals and provided a rationale for the need for libraries in combating attacks on American morals and social standards. The Library History Round Table of the ALA awards the “Justin Winsor Prize”, established in 1978, for exceptional library history essays.
Winsor is a member of the Library Hall of Fame.
and served as the president during the 1886-1887 term. The Justin Winsor Prize
was the first prize established by the AHA and was awarded from 1896 through 1930 and from 1936 through 1938.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer, librarian, and historian.
Background and education
Winsor was born in Boston, Massachusetts, son of Nathaniel Winsor III (1806-c.1890) and Ann Thomas Howland Winsor (1809–1893). His father was a shipping merchant who had established the "Winsor Line," one of the first regular lines of clipperships between Boston and San Francisco. Shortly before his birth, his parents had recently moved to Boston from Duxbury, Massachusetts where the Winsor family had been involved in shipbuilding for generations. His grandfather's home, the Nathaniel Winsor, Jr. HouseNathaniel Winsor, Jr. House
The Nathaniel Winsor, Jr. House is a historic house located at 479 Washington Street Duxbury, Massachusetts. It currently serves as the headquarters of the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society....
, is now the headquarters of the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society. Justin Winsor graduated from the Boston Latin School
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts. It is both the first public school and oldest existing school in the United States....
. He entered Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, but left early to study in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
. He did finally receive his degree in 1853. He died in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
Family
In 1855, Winsor married Caroline Tufts Barker (1830–1911), daughter of Ebenezer and Sally Fuller Barker of Charlestown, MassachusettsCharlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
. They had two children, Mary (b. 1860) who died in infancy, and Constance (c. 1861-1895).
Writer and editor
Justin Winsor published his first book, A History of the Town of Duxbury, during his first year at Harvard. He contributed to many periodicals, and, in addition to editing many smaller works, he edited some of the most important historical works of the 19th century. Among them; Reader’s Handbook of American History (1879), The Memorial History of Boston (4 vols., 1880–1881) and the Narrative and Critical History of America (8 vols., 1884–1889). The latter was the standard history reference for most of the next century.Librarian
Winsor was one of the creators of the librarian profession, a strong proponent of the ability of libraries to uplift, and a leader in the effort to make libraries the center of universities. He started his library career as Trustee (1867–1868), then Superintendent (1868–1877) of the Boston Public LibraryBoston Public Library
The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was the first publicly supported municipal library in the United States, the first large library open to the public in the United States, and the first public library to allow people to...
. As a member of the Boston Brahmins, Winsor found an opportunity to engage in social reform while pursuing intellectual interests. He reflected the Brahmins’ strong belief in self-help, uplift, and social progress. They espoused the Socratic idea that knowledge creates virtue and Winsor saw the public library as a way to educate common people so that the traditional order of the republic would be maintained.
At Boston Public Library, Winsor undertook many projects used to track and help library use. He employed innovative statistical analysis of the library’s use and used the finding to promote the idea that libraries were not just institutions and repositories of books, but were a process. He also dedicated a great deal of attention to the compilation of bibliographies and guides to public reading. Also, Winsor annotated the catalog to give it an education character. In an effort to increase book use, he worked for the establishment of branch libraries, extended hours, and relaxed restrictions on use.
In 1877, following a struggle with Alderman Hugh O'Brien
Hugh O'Brien
Hugh O'Brien was the 31st mayor of Boston, from 1884–1888. O'Brien is notable as Boston's first Irish mayor, having emigrated from Ireland to America in the early 1830s...
over the professionalism of library management, Winsor left Boston Public Library to become Librarian of Harvard University, where he served until his death. In his dual career as librarian-historian, he was a prototype of the ideal academic librarian.
Winsor came to Harvard at a time when research was gaining emphasis. Faculty and students assumed ready access to large collections. Winsor wanted to make the library the center of the university. In this effort, he pushed for more books and greater accessibility, improved the catalog, informed faculty of new acquisitions, liberalized the library use policy, instituted a reserve system, and wrangled with administration over the installation of electric lights for extended hours. During this time, he also influenced the field though reports when library literature was scarce.
Winsor was also a founder of the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
and the Library Journal, serving as president of the ALA from 1876 through 1885. In this position, he emphasized the need for trained professionals and provided a rationale for the need for libraries in combating attacks on American morals and social standards. The Library History Round Table of the ALA awards the “Justin Winsor Prize”, established in 1978, for exceptional library history essays.
Winsor is a member of the Library Hall of Fame.
Historian
Justin Winsor was a founding member of the American Historical AssociationAmerican Historical Association
The American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...
and served as the president during the 1886-1887 term. The Justin Winsor Prize
Justin Winsor Prize (history)
The Justin Winsor Prize was awarded by the American Historical Association to encourage new authors to pursue the study of history in the Western Hemisphere at a time when the study of European history predominated...
was the first prize established by the AHA and was awarded from 1896 through 1930 and from 1936 through 1938.
Works by Winsor
- The Memorial History of Boston. Boston: Ticknor & Co., 1881. v.4. James R. Osgood & Co., 1880-1883. v.1; v.2; v.3; v.4. James R. Osgood & Co., 1885. v.1. Ticknor & Co., 1886. v.4.
Key writings on the library
- "Reading in Popular Libraries"
- "Free Libraries and Readers"
- "The President's Address [1877]"
- "First Report (1878) of Justin Winsor, Librarian of Harvard University"
- "College and Other Higher Libraries"
- "The College Library and the Classes"
- "Library Buildings"
External links
- Board of Trustees - Former Trustees, Justin Winsor from the Boston Public Library
- The Cambridge History of English and American Literature etc., at Bartleby.com
- Charter of the American Historical Association from the American Historical Association
- Charter of the American Library Association from the American Library Association
- Justin Winsor: Drafts of Various Bibliographical Works from the Grolier Club of New York