Margaret Ridley Charlton
Encyclopedia
Margaret Charlton was a pioneering medical librarian who was instrumental in founding the Association of Medical Librarians - which became the Medical Library Association
in 1907. She was the Associations's first Secretary.
, a small town on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River near Montreal
. She was christened Margaret Anne but later changed her second name to Ridley, to honour her descent from the family of the martyred Bishop Nicholas Ridley
- burnt at the stake in Oxford in 1555.
Medical Library was founded on August 27, 1823. It was part of the university's Faculty of Medicine and, as was common practice in the 19th and early 20th centuries, a faculty member held the title of "Librarian". Miss Charlton, who had recently completed a summer course at Amherst College in the newly developed field of librarianship, and is thought to have studied under Melvil Dewey
, came to this library in 1895. She was appointed to be the library's first Assistant Librarian in 1896. She remained at the McGill Medical Library in this position until 1914, when she resigned under less than happy circumstances, and moved to Toronto
as Librarian of the Academy of Medicine.
Miss Charlton was probably the first person with any formal library training to work at McGill University
. Her interest in wider library issues was demonstrated shortly after she arrived, as she was reimbursed $55 for the expense of attending a meeting of the American Library Association
in Chicago
in 1896. The following year, the British and Canadian medical associations held a joint meeting in Montreal
, and it was probably here that Miss Charlton first met Dr. William Osler
. Osler had graduated from McGill in 1872, and after postgraduate studies in Europe he had returned as a faculty member. He left McGill in 1884 to go to the University of Pennsylvania
and by 1897 was at Johns Hopkins University
in Baltimore
. Osler was always interested in, and supportive of, libraries and had served on the Faculty's Library Committee while at McGill. He was almost certainly eager to meet the newly appointed Assistant Librarian of his alma mater.
It was most likell due to this 1897 meeting that William Osler
and Margaret Charlton became involved in the formation of the Association of Medical Librarians, founded on May 2, 1898, by four librarians and four physicians who met in the office of the Philadelphia Medical Journal, at the invitation of its editor, George M. Gould, M.D. The object of the Association was the fostering of medical libraries and the maintenance of an exchange of medical literature among its members. Membership was limited to librarians representing medical libraries of at least 500 volumes, with regular library hours and attendance. Miss Charlton served as the Association's first Secretary from 1898–1903 and again from 1909–1911, after it had become (in 1907) the Medical Library Association
. One of the other founding members, Marcia C. Noyes (who was to become the first woman and first non-physician President of the Association in 1933), writes of Margaret Charlton as follows:
In November 2000, Margaret Ridley Charlton was proposed to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada as a "person of national historic significance". This Board, created in 1919, is responsible for making such recommendations to the Canadian government, and in late 2002 it supported the proposal. In September 2003 the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honorable Sheila Copps, approved the Board's recommendation and Margaret Ridley Charlton has been added to the list of approximately 600 other "persons of national historic significance". In 2006 a Government of Canada plaque honouring her accomplishments was unveiled at the McGill University Life Sciences (formerly Medical) Library. Additional images at http://www.internatlibs.mcgill.ca/charlton/index.htm
At the winter 2004 meeting of the Canadian Health Libraries Association
/Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada Board of Directors, it was decided to rename the Award for Outstanding Achievement in honour of Margaret Ridley Charlton http://www.chla-absc.ca/?q=en/node/171
Medical Library Association
The Medical Library Association is a nonprofit, educational organization with more than 4,000 health sciences information professional members and partners worldwide.- History :...
in 1907. She was the Associations's first Secretary.
Early life
She was born on December 10, 1858 in La Prairie, QuebecLa Prairie, Quebec
La Prairie is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada at the confluence of the Saint-Jacques River and the Saint Lawrence River in the Regional County Municipality of Roussillon...
, a small town on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River near Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. She was christened Margaret Anne but later changed her second name to Ridley, to honour her descent from the family of the martyred Bishop Nicholas Ridley
Nicholas Ridley (martyr)
Nicholas Ridley was an English Bishop of London. Ridley was burned at the stake, as one of the Oxford Martyrs, during the Marian Persecutions, for his teachings and his support of Lady Jane Grey...
- burnt at the stake in Oxford in 1555.
Career
The McGill UniversityMcGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
Medical Library was founded on August 27, 1823. It was part of the university's Faculty of Medicine and, as was common practice in the 19th and early 20th centuries, a faculty member held the title of "Librarian". Miss Charlton, who had recently completed a summer course at Amherst College in the newly developed field of librarianship, and is thought to have studied under Melvil Dewey
Melvil Dewey
Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey was an American librarian and educator, inventor of the Dewey Decimal system of library classification, and a founder of the Lake Placid Club....
, came to this library in 1895. She was appointed to be the library's first Assistant Librarian in 1896. She remained at the McGill Medical Library in this position until 1914, when she resigned under less than happy circumstances, and moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
as Librarian of the Academy of Medicine.
Miss Charlton was probably the first person with any formal library training to work at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
. Her interest in wider library issues was demonstrated shortly after she arrived, as she was reimbursed $55 for the expense of attending a meeting 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....
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1896. The following year, the British and Canadian medical associations held a joint meeting in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, and it was probably here that Miss Charlton first met Dr. William Osler
William Osler
Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet was a physician. He was one of the "Big Four" founding professors at Johns Hopkins Hospital as the first Professor of Medicine and founder of the Medical Service there. Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet (July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919) was a physician. He was...
. Osler had graduated from McGill in 1872, and after postgraduate studies in Europe he had returned as a faculty member. He left McGill in 1884 to go to the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and by 1897 was at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. Osler was always interested in, and supportive of, libraries and had served on the Faculty's Library Committee while at McGill. He was almost certainly eager to meet the newly appointed Assistant Librarian of his alma mater.
It was most likell due to this 1897 meeting that William Osler
William Osler
Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet was a physician. He was one of the "Big Four" founding professors at Johns Hopkins Hospital as the first Professor of Medicine and founder of the Medical Service there. Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet (July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919) was a physician. He was...
and Margaret Charlton became involved in the formation of the Association of Medical Librarians, founded on May 2, 1898, by four librarians and four physicians who met in the office of the Philadelphia Medical Journal, at the invitation of its editor, George M. Gould, M.D. The object of the Association was the fostering of medical libraries and the maintenance of an exchange of medical literature among its members. Membership was limited to librarians representing medical libraries of at least 500 volumes, with regular library hours and attendance. Miss Charlton served as the Association's first Secretary from 1898–1903 and again from 1909–1911, after it had become (in 1907) the Medical Library Association
Medical Library Association
The Medical Library Association is a nonprofit, educational organization with more than 4,000 health sciences information professional members and partners worldwide.- History :...
. One of the other founding members, Marcia C. Noyes (who was to become the first woman and first non-physician President of the Association in 1933), writes of Margaret Charlton as follows:
- "Miss Charlton was the one person who indirectly brought the Association into being from speaking with Dr. Osler. She had belonged to the American Library Association. Their problems were not our problems, and she felt lost and that time was wasted, yet she had striven for contact with those doing just the sort of work she was doing. And so she suggested to Dr. Osler that it would be a fine thing if the Medical Libraries could do the same thing the American Library Association was doing." (Bulletin of the Medical Library Association, 23 (1934): page 33.)
In November 2000, Margaret Ridley Charlton was proposed to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada as a "person of national historic significance". This Board, created in 1919, is responsible for making such recommendations to the Canadian government, and in late 2002 it supported the proposal. In September 2003 the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honorable Sheila Copps, approved the Board's recommendation and Margaret Ridley Charlton has been added to the list of approximately 600 other "persons of national historic significance". In 2006 a Government of Canada plaque honouring her accomplishments was unveiled at the McGill University Life Sciences (formerly Medical) Library. Additional images at http://www.internatlibs.mcgill.ca/charlton/index.htm
Later life
In 1922 she left the Academy of Medicine, also under less than happy circumstances, and returned to Montréal to live with her sisters. She died there on May 1, 1931 and is buried, with her mother and two of her three sisters, in Mount Royal Cemetery.Awards in Her Honor
Margaret Ridley Charlton Award for Outstanding AchievementAt the winter 2004 meeting of the Canadian Health Libraries Association
Canadian Health Libraries Association
The Canadian Health Libraries Association or Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada was founded in 1976. It represents the views of Canadian Health sciences librarians to governments, the health community and fellow librarians.-Background:...
/Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada Board of Directors, it was decided to rename the Award for Outstanding Achievement in honour of Margaret Ridley Charlton http://www.chla-absc.ca/?q=en/node/171