Yvonne Oddon
Encyclopedia
Yvonne Oddon was one of the leaders in the reformation of French libraries, and a member of the French Resistance
in World War II.
to a Protestant family. After secondary school studies and a year as a lecturer in Wales
, she was admitted to the school of Library Studies in Paris built after World War I with the help of American aid. She there became an assistant and in 1926-1928 went on a training course to the United States. On her return to France in 1929 she became a librarian at the Trocadéro
Museum in the Palais de Chaillot while continuing her activity in the Council of Librarians and Association of French Librarians. Her name remains attached to the Guide du bibliothécaire amateur (Guide for the amateur librarian), published in 1930 by Charles-Henri Bach; and this with the text revised and corrected became the Petit guide du bibliothécaire being considerably added to after 1945 and republished under two names with certain editions being illustrated. The Trocadéro Museum became the Musée de l'Homme
, and its library, open to the public and methodically classified (according to an adaptation of the classification of the Library of Congress
) represents a turning point in study library management. For the Universal Exhibition of 1947 she was given the task of organising the Libraries section.
In 1940 she took part, with Boris Vildé
and Agnès Humbert
, in the creation of a resistance group called the Groupe du musée de l'Homme
, initially to help prisoners and aviators to escape. She was also present at the birth of a clandestine newspaper named Résistance. On 10 February 1941 the participants of the group were arrested following their denunciation by an employee. On 7 February 1942, the six men in the group were sentenced to death, but for the three women, including Yvonne Oddon, the sentence was suspended and they were deported to Germany. Yvonne went to several prisons before being sent to the camp at Ravensbrück on 20 November 1944. Freed by the International Red Cross, she arrived back in Paris on 14 April 1945 as part of an exchange negotiated between the Red Cross and Heinrich Himmler
.
After the war, Yvonne Oddon, while continuing her work at the Musée de l'Homme, took part in numerous missions under the aegis of UNESCO
(Haïti
, 1949) and took part in the organisation of education conferences based in Malmö
in 1950 and in Ibadan
in 1954; then the creation of the International Council of Museums
, for which she made a classification system; and she took part, after her retirement, in numerous missions, particularly to the Museum centre in Jos
, Nigeria
.
She was awarded the rank of Chevalier (Légion d'honneur
) for her resistance work and was later promoted to Officier.
She died in 1982, and was buried at Menglon
(Drôme
), the cradle of her family.
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
in World War II.
Biography
Yvonne Oddon was born in Gap, Hautes-AlpesGap, Hautes-Alpes
Gap is a commune in southeastern France, the capital of the Hautes-Alpes department.-Geography:An Alpine crossroads at the intersection of D994 and Route nationale 85 the Route Napoléon, Gap lies above sea level along the right bank of the Luye River...
to a Protestant family. After secondary school studies and a year as a lecturer in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, she was admitted to the school of Library Studies in Paris built after World War I with the help of American aid. She there became an assistant and in 1926-1928 went on a training course to the United States. On her return to France in 1929 she became a librarian at the Trocadéro
Trocadéro
The Trocadéro, , site of the Palais de Chaillot, , is an area of Paris, France, in the 16th arrondissement, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. The hill of the Trocadéro is the hill of Chaillot, a former village.- Origin of the name :...
Museum in the Palais de Chaillot while continuing her activity in the Council of Librarians and Association of French Librarians. Her name remains attached to the Guide du bibliothécaire amateur (Guide for the amateur librarian), published in 1930 by Charles-Henri Bach; and this with the text revised and corrected became the Petit guide du bibliothécaire being considerably added to after 1945 and republished under two names with certain editions being illustrated. The Trocadéro Museum became the Musée de l'Homme
Musée de l'Homme
The Musée de l'Homme was created in 1937 by Paul Rivet for the 1937 Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne. It is the descendant of the Musée d'Ethnographie du Trocadéro, founded in 1878...
, and its library, open to the public and methodically classified (according to an adaptation of the classification of the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
) represents a turning point in study library management. For the Universal Exhibition of 1947 she was given the task of organising the Libraries section.
In 1940 she took part, with Boris Vildé
Boris Vildé
Boris Vildé was a linguist and ethnographer at the Musée de l'Homme, in Paris, France. He specialised in polar civilizations. He was born in St. Petersburg into a family of Eastern orthodox Russians. His family moved to Tartu, Estonia in 1919...
and Agnès Humbert
Agnès Humbert
Agnès Humbert was an art historian, ethnographer and a member of the French Resistance during World War II.- Early life :...
, in the creation of a resistance group called the Groupe du musée de l'Homme
Groupe du musée de l'Homme
The Groupe du musée de l'Homme was a movement in the French resistance to the Nazi occupation during the Second World War....
, initially to help prisoners and aviators to escape. She was also present at the birth of a clandestine newspaper named Résistance. On 10 February 1941 the participants of the group were arrested following their denunciation by an employee. On 7 February 1942, the six men in the group were sentenced to death, but for the three women, including Yvonne Oddon, the sentence was suspended and they were deported to Germany. Yvonne went to several prisons before being sent to the camp at Ravensbrück on 20 November 1944. Freed by the International Red Cross, she arrived back in Paris on 14 April 1945 as part of an exchange negotiated between the Red Cross and Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
.
After the war, Yvonne Oddon, while continuing her work at the Musée de l'Homme, took part in numerous missions under the aegis of UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
(Haïti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, 1949) and took part in the organisation of education conferences based in Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
in 1950 and in Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
in 1954; then the creation of the International Council of Museums
International Council of Museums
The International Council of Museums is an international organization of museums and museum professionals that is committed to the conservation, continuation and communication to society of the world's natural and cultural heritage, present and future, tangible and intangible.- Overview :Created...
, for which she made a classification system; and she took part, after her retirement, in numerous missions, particularly to the Museum centre in Jos
Jos
Jos is a city in the Middle Belt of Nigeria.The city has a population of about 1.5 million residents. Popularly called "J-town" or "Jesus Our Saviour" by the residents, it is the administrative capital of Plateau State....
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
She was awarded the rank of Chevalier (Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
) for her resistance work and was later promoted to Officier.
She died in 1982, and was buried at Menglon
Menglon
Menglon is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
(Drôme
Drôme
Drôme , a department in southeastern France, takes its name from the Drôme River.-History:The French National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of France on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution...
), the cradle of her family.