College and Research Libraries Flora Belle Ludington: A Biography and Bibliography FLORA BELLE LUDINGTON was born in Huron County, Michigan, but moved with her family to Wenatchee, Washington, in time to begin her library career at the age of fourteen as a volunteer in the newly established Carnegie public library. She was an assistant in the library of the Uni- versity of Washington in Seattle, where she took the AB degree in librarianship, in 1920. Later studies brought her an MA degree in history from Mills College, and a BLS degree from New York State Li- brary School, both conferred in 1925. Af- ter one year as an assistant in the circula- tion department of . the University of Washington library ( 1920-21) Miss Lud- ington was appointed reference librarian at Mills College. She was later named as- sistant professor of bibliography and then associate librarian. In 1936 she was ap- pointed librarian of the Mount Holyoke College library, the position she has since held until her retirement in June 1964. She has been a visiting professor of li- brary science during summer sessions at the University of Texas ( 1930), San Jose (California) State Teachers College ( 1931), and at the Columbia University school of library service ( 1936, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, and 1943). The years at Mount Holyoke have in- cluded varied services to the library pro- fession and to the larger community of the world. Her two-year chairmanship of the Special Committee on International Cultural Relations during the second World War led to her personal participa- tion in the overseas program as first di- rector of the United States information SEPTEMBER 1964 BY MARGARET L. JOHNSON Miss Johnson is Librarian of Smith Col- lege, Northampton, Massachusetts. Miss Ludington is a contributor to and a former member of the Editorial Board of College and Research Libraries. ln preparing the bibliography for this paper, Miss Johnson wishes to acknowledge the assistance of Nancy Devine, Reference Librarian, Mount Holyoke College. library in Bombay, India, from 1944 to 1946, while on war leave from Mount Holyoke. In 194 7 she attended the meet- ings of the International Federation of Library Associations in Oslo, Norway. Miss Ludington served for several months in 1948 as visiting expert on information libraries in Japan for the Supreme Com- mand for Allied Powers and was awarded the Certificate of Achievement of the Civil Information and Education Section. She has been a member of the USIA's Ad- visory Committee on International Cul- tural Relations since 1957. As chairman of a committee working with the ALA and the Ford Foundation to establish a library school at the University of An- kara in Turkey, she visited libraries there and in Lebanon in 1957. In 1959 she studied library development in Africa un- der a Rockefeller Foundation grant. Always interested in the development of international cultural relations, Miss Ludington is equally distinguished for her services to the library profession in this country. A long-time member of the American Library Association, she was twice chairman of the Board on Interna- tional Relations ( 194 2-44), working on 375 postwar rehabilitation of European li- braries and closer cooperation with li- braries in Latin America. As president of the American Library Association ·in 1953-54, she worked with the establish- ment of the National Book Committee, organized by a group of citizens "to promote wider and wiser distribution of books and to preserve the freedom to read." She also served ( 1959) on the National Book Committee's Awards Ad- visory Committee, under whose annual program the book industry's prizes are given to American writers for the most distinguished books published in the United States the previous year. As librarian of Mount Holyoke Col- lege, Miss Ludington was instrumental in establishing ( 19 51 ) the Hampshire Inter- Library Center, a cooperative center for scholarly materials maintained by Am- herst, Mount Holyoke, and Smith colleges and the University of Massachusetts, and has since served on its executive commit- . tee. She has also served on the board of directors of the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Library Council of Massachusetts, and the execu- tive committee of the Mount Holyoke Institute of the United Nations. In 19 53 Mills College granted Miss Ludington an honorary LLD degree, and in 1957 she received from the American Library Association one of the most dis- tinguished awards in librarianship-the Joseph W. Lippincott Award for "high achievement." Praising her for her "crea- tive contributions to the advancement of the library profession," the citation added: "As former president of the American Library Association and one of its most respected advisors today, Miss Luding- ton has demonstrated a level of public and private statesmanship which should be both a deep source of satisfaction to her and a continuing challenge to ~ll members of her profession." And in this year of her retirement, it seems most fit- ting that the Alumnae Association of the University of Washington school of librar- ianship selected her as the Distinguished Alumna of 1964. To those who have been fortunate in working with Flora Belle Ludington in the Connecticut Valley, this brief sum- mary of her professional contributions and achievements provides little more than the bare biographical skeleton of a truly great professional. The flesh and spirit are found in qualities difficult to de- fine without seeming fulsome and perhaps even a bit emotional. As the HILC librar- ians were appointed, she welcomed each with warmth and genuine acceptance as colleagues in the profession to which she had made full commitment. Her splendid judgment and her wise and patient coun- sel are complemented by imagination, en- thusiasm, and humor, which made the co- operative venture of HILC, as she often said, "one of the most exciting experi- ences" in a librarian's career. The true professional should have breadth of interests, but at the same time a clear vision of the central purposes of the profession to which he has committed himself. Flora Belle Ludington never loses sight of the first responsibility of the li- brarian-to bring together books and people, and, she would add, "books that will inspire the mind, that will throw fresh lights on current problems ... books on a variety of subjects, not necessarily new books . . . good books." She also is an articulate librarian, ample evidence of which is provided in the bibliography of her writings which follows. Her reading as well as her writings encompasses many diverse fields, and are worldwide in their extent. She is a librarian, bookman, col- lector, and, perhaps of greater impor- tance, an informed and active citizen of the world. She once said of William E. Henry, founder and dean of the school of librarianship at the University of Wash- ington: "It was to Dean Henry that we all looked for his warm personality, his pro- fessional knowledge, his breadth of learn- 376 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES ing and his devotion to the profession. " 1 Those who have worked with Flora Belle 1 Dorothy Bevis, "Flora B. Ludington," Bulletin of Bibliography, XXI (January-April 1956), 193-95. Ludington would ascribe these same qual- ities to her, and be grateful for the asso- ciation and the example she has set for excellence in the profession. • • Published Works of Flora Belle Ludington 1925 The Newspapers of Oregon, 1846-1870. Eugene [Oregon]. 34p. Master's Thesis, Mills College. 1928 "Standards Reached by the Smaller College Libraries of the Pacific Coast," California News Notes, XXIII, 4-6. 1929 "College Librarians of the Middle West," summary of a paper read at Midwinter Meeting of ALA. Libraries, XXXIV, 417. 1934 Introduction to The San Francisco Fairy, A Tale of Early Times, published by C. P. Kimball, 1868. (Whimsical Reprints, no. 3.) Mills College, Calif.: Eucalyptus Press. ll. 3-4. "Preparing College Women for Leisure; In- fluencing Outside Reading through Personal Contact." (Paper presented at College and University Library Section, California Li- brary Association, April 11, 1933.) Library Journal, LIX, 56-58. 1935 "College Library Book Selection," Library Journal, LX, 8-12. "The Teaching Function of the Junior Col- lege Library," ALA Bulletin, XXIX, 625- 29. Also appeared in Junior College Jour- nal, VI, 69-73. 1936 "Consideration of a College Library Book List," ALA Bulletin, XXX, 156-60. 1937 An Exhibition of One Hundred American First Editions Paralleling the History of SEPTEMBER 1964 Mount Holyoke College, 1837-1937. Willis- ton Memorial Library, Mount Holyoke Col- lege, May 7 to May 31, 1937. [South Had- ley, Mass.J 43p. 1938 Qvintvs H orativs Flaccvs; Editions in the United States and Canada, as They Appear in the Union Catalog of the Library of Con- gress. Ed. by Anna C. Brinton and Flora B. Ludington. [Oakland]: Mills College, Calif. 240p. 1939 "Should A.L.A. Council Organization Be More Democratic?" ALA Bulletin, XXXIII, 173-75. 1940 "Evaluating the Adequacy of the Book Col- lection," CRL, I, 305-13. "A Glance at Salaries in College and Uni- versity Libraries," ALA Bulletin, XXXIV, 113-14, 123-24. 1941 Review of The Classified List of Periodicals for College Libraries, and The Classified List of Reference Books for College Li- braries, CRL, II, 156-57. 1942 "The New Code and the College Library," CRL, III, 121-28. "Propaganda in Pamphlets," ALA Bulletin, XXXVI, 296. 1943 "Books and the Sword--Symbols of Our Time," ALA Bulletin, XXXVII, 147-52. "British Book Week," ibid., p.275. "Public Opinion and Postwar Planning: The Library's Part." (Paper read at New York Institute on War and Postwar Issues, April 4, 1943.) Library Journal, LXVIII, 345-47. 377 1944 "Discussion" rfollowing article, "The Emerg- ing Program of Cultural Relations," by Charles A. Thomson 1, ALA Bulletin, XXX- VIII, 78-79. Review of Fifty Years of Education for Li- brarianship, papers presented for the cele- bration of the fiftieth anniversary of the University of Illinois library school, March 2, 1943, Library Journal, LXIX, 301-302. 1945 "Rebuilding War-Wrecked Libraries," Amer- ican Federationist, LII (March) 30. 1946 "India Needs Technical Libraries," Trend (Bombay), II, 6. "Libraries for Children," ibid., pp. 14-15. Also appeared under the title, "Libraries for School," in Municipal Gazette; A Journal for Civic and Municipal Affairs (Madras), IX, 5. "Library Situation in India, 1946 . . . for The American Library Association." Wash- ington: ALA International Relations Office. 14 r 18 1 I. (mimeographed) . ("Confidential: Not for Publication.") Review of Poems from India, by Members of the Forces, chosen by R. N. Currey and R. V. Gibson, Illustrated Weekly of India, March 3. 1947 "Discussion on The Indian Law of Copy- right," in Indian Writers in Council; Pro- ceedings of the First All-India Writers' Con- ference (Jaipur, 1945). Bombay: Interna- tional Book House, 1947. Pp.146-47. "India," comp. by P. M. Joshi and Flora B. Ludington, The Booklist, XLIII, 125-27, 144. Review of National Library System-a Plan for India, by S. R. Ranganathan, Library Quarterly, XVII, 314-16. 1948 Review of The Cultural Approach: Another Way in International Relations, by Ruth E. McMurry and Muna Lee, Library Quarter- ly, XVIII, 126-27. Review of Guide to the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, a Memorial to Jane Ad- dams, comp. by Ellen S. Brinton ret al. 1, Bibliographical Society of America Papers, XLII, 161. Review of Library Development Plan: Thir- ty-Year Programme for India, by S. R. Ranganathan, Library Journal, LXXIII, 873- 74. 1950 "Towards a Better College Library," Stechert-Hafner Book News, IV, 93-94. Review of Education for a New Japan, by Robert K. Hall, Far Eastern Quarterly, IX, 409-10. Review of No Cause for Alarm; What Lies Behind England's Peaceful Revolution, by Virginia Cowles, Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly, XXXIII, 154. 1951 "Strengthening the Forces for Peace," Mas- sachusetts Library Association Bulletin, XLI, 37-39. Review of Library Development Plan: Thir- ty-Year Programme for India, by S. R. Ranganathan, Library Quarterly, XXI, 223- 24. 1952 "Hampshire Inter-Library Center," ALA Bulletin, XLVI, 10-12. Also appeared in Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly, XXXV, 113-14. 1953 "Book Preservation," ALA Bulletin, XLVII, 425-26. "Essentials of Cooperation," South Dakota Library Bulletin, XXXIX, 66-71. "Interlibrary Cooperation," Public Libraries, VII, 1-2. "Memorial Tribute, July 29, 1953, to Bulin Klyver Hobbie, 1896-1953," Massachusetts Library Association Bulletin, XLIII, 80-81. "Taproot, Trunk and Branches. Inaugural Address, Los Angeles, June 26, 1953," ALA Bulletin, XLVII, 345, 366-73. 1954 "The American Contribution to Foreign Li- brary Establishment and Rehabilitation," Library Quarterly, XXIV, 192-204. Also ap- peared in Leon Carnovsky (ed.), lnterna- 378 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES tiona! Aspects of Librarianship [Chicago 1: University of Chic;ago Press. Pp. 112-24. "Common Voice," ALA Bulletin, XLVIII, 79. "Halsey William Wilson," ibid., p. 323. "Individual Librarian and the ALA," Okla- homa Librarian, I, 3-4. "Membership in ALA Is Affirmation of Confidence in Its Purposes," Library News Bulletin (Washington State Library), XXI, 11. "Our Common Interests and Purposes," PNLA Quarterly rPacific Northwest Library Association1, XVIII, 80-83. "Report rof the President1 to Council, June 25, 1954, Minneapolis," ALA Bulletin, XLVIII, 439-41. 1955 "Association Responsibilities for Publish- ing," Library Trends, III, 258-68. Foreword to Books, Autographs, Drawings, Paintings, Illuminated and Other Manu- scripts, etc. Collected by The Late Henry S. Borneman ... Public Auction .Sale, No- vember 1 and 2. New York: Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc. Pp. rvii-viii 1• "Kiitiiphanecilik Boliimii" (University of Ankara Institute of Librarianship), Library Journal, LXXX, 122-23. "Report on Radio Free Europe," Wilson Li- brary Bulletin, XXIX, 523. Review of The Function of the Library in the Modern College, ed. by Herman H. Fussier, Library Journal, LXXX, 855-57. 1956 "Cooperative Planning to Meet the Needs of Increased Enrollments," Current Issues in Higher Education, 1956, 322-23. · " 'Outside Look' ·at the AAUP (American Association of University Presses)," Pub- lisher's Weekly, CLXIX, 2735-42. 1957 "Lessons of the United States Steel Founda- tion Grant for Library Programs," Asso- ciation of American Colleges Bulletin, XLIII, 356-62. rRemarks on Reorganization of A.L.A. 1 Li- brary Journal, LXXXII, 629. Review of Training of Specialists in Inter- national Relations, by C. Dale Fuller, CRL, XVIII, 512-13. SEPTEMBER 1964 1958 Books and Libraries: Tools of the Academic World. rChicago: ALA1, 14p. Also ap- peared in John D. Marshall (comp.), Of, By, and For Librarians, Hamden, Conn.: Shoe String Press, 1960. Pp. 104-15. 1959 "The Increased Cost of Books," Library Journal, LXXXIV, 151. "The School's Contribution to Librarian- ship," in New York State Library School Association, New York State Library School Register, 1887-1926, pp. xv-xvi. 1960 "The Fiske Report: Its Implications for Book Selection," Bay State Librarian, L, 1-6. Condensed version appeared as "Fiske Re- port and Book Selection," Ontario Library Review, XIV, 233-35. "Suggested Readings ron Africa 1 ," compiled by Flora B. Ludington and Donald L. Wied- ner, Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly, Special Supplement, Summer 1960, p.88. Review of A Southeastern Supplement to the Union List of Serials, ed. by Edward G. Roberts, Library Quarterly, XXX, 107-08. 1961 Review of The Reader's Advisor and Book- man's Manual, 9th ed. rev. and enlarged by Hester R. Hoffman, Library Journal, LXXXVI, 222-23. 1962 "The Librarian's Reading; Personal and Pro- fessional," Illinois Libraries, XLIV, 354-58. Review of Fifth Annual Report for the Period Ending June 30, 1961, Council on Library Resources,. CRL, XXIII, 268-69. 1964 "The Library" [History of Mount Holyoke College Library1, Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly, XL VII, 170-7 4. Review of The Place of a Research Library in a Liberal Arts College; Proceedings of a Symposium Held at Bowdoin College, Feb- ruary 21-22, 1963, CRL, XXV, 230-31. •• 379