In honor of Women's History Month, the Library is taking a look back at some of the remarkable women who built NYPL. Every March, we share reflections from our current staff on how the impact of these trailblazing figures from the Library's history are still felt today.
This year we honor Michele Coleman Mayes, who recently retired as the Library’s general counsel and whose dedication and leadership were integral to furthering our mission.
Michele Coleman Mayes
Coleman Mayes was the Library’s first Black woman general counsel. In addition to providing the Library with sage legal counsel, she also fostered inclusivity, equity, and innovation in the workplace.
"Michele personifies the very grit she champions, as her trailblazing journey through the legal profession demonstrates. Her success is a testament to the power of resilience, character, and determination."
— Bridget Smith, General Counsel and Secretary, and Nakia Martin, Assistant General Counsel
Roberta Saltzman
Saltzman was chief assistant librarian at NYPL’s Dorot Jewish Division, and helped build the Library's Jewish cookbook collection, one of the largest and most diverse in the world.
"It was part of her duty to ensure women's writing and creativity were equally accessible to our researchers as the work of men was."
— Faith Jones, Former Research Librarian, Dorot Jewish Division
Regina Andrews
Andrews was the first African American woman to lead a New York Public Library branch.
"It is because of Regina’s fortitude, persistence, and selfless choice to be the agent for change that I and countless other librarians of color can fearlessly throw our names in the hat for positions of leadership at the Library."
— Yolanda Gleason, Borough Director, Staten Island & Manhattan Neighborhood Library Networks
Augusta Braxton Baker
Baker was the first African American librarian in an administrative position at NYPL and she was a fierce champion of diversity in children’s books.
"Baker's collection, which sought to portray a diversity of Black children's experiences beyond the racist stereotypes present in many books of the time, was a catalyst in public library collection development."
— Stephanie Anderson, Assistant Director, Selection; Libbhy Romero, World Languages Coordinator; and Yolande Shelton, Electronic Resources Coordinator
Pura Belpré
Belpré was the first Puerto Rican librarian at NYPL and was an enthusiastic advocate for Spanish-speaking communities.
"She laid the foundation, which so many of us have built upon, for bridges that connect public libraries and their resources with our communities, especially with those that feel they don’t have a place here."
— Paloma Celis Carbajal, Curator for Latin American, Iberian, and U.S. Latino Collections
Kathie Coblentz
Kathie Coblentz was a dedicated research librarian who spent her entire 52-year career with The New York Public Library.
"Kathie was a dedicated librarian whose work created catalog and authority records that were the products of detective work, deep research, and scholarly skepticism about assumed facts, leading to truly rich description and access of items in the library's coffers of great value and importance."
— Deirdre Donohue, Assistant Director, Wallach Collection
Betty Corwin
Corwin created the world-renowned treasure trove of recorded live theatre known as the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive and served as its curator for 31 years.
"Betty revolutionized theatre history and research. That is no small statement, but undeniably true."
— Patrick Hoffman, Director and Curator, Theatre on Film and Tape Archive
Jennie Maas Flexner
Flexner founded The New York Public Library’s Readers' Advisory division, and was the first-ever official Readers' Advisory Librarian.
"Flexner believed that providing books of interest that were specific to each reader, their background, their experience, and what they wanted in life would make reading a pleasure rather than a means to an end."
— Lynn Lobash, Associate Director, Reader Services
Alice Hudson
Hudson’s curatorial and collection work helped establish the Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division at the Library as one of the premier public map collections in the world.
"Hudson helped guide and mentor countless scholars and colleagues and served as an indefatigable resource for even more researchers, students, and curious people who came to the Library."
— Kate Cordes, Associate Director, Reference and Outreach
Jean Blackwell Hutson
Hutson was chief of the Schomburg Center from 1948 to 1980 and grew the Schomburg’s collection from 15,000 to 75,000 volumes, including the archive of her friend Langston Hughes.
"Jean was the type that wanted to make sure people knew what was going on around them and had access to that."
— Tequila Davis, Library Manager, Harry Belafonte–115th Street Library
Romana Javitz
Javitz led The New York Public Library’s Picture Collection, improving access for patrons and focusing on capturing American folk art and crafts, particularly African American culture and art.
"She helped build the subject heading system that we use today and developed the model of open access to the files, so researchers could have unexpected encounters among the pictures."
— Jessica Cline, Librarian III, Picture Collection
Esther Johnston
Johnston was a pioneering librarian whose dedication to public service and love for librarianship helped her smash the glass ceiling and become the first woman chief of NYPL’s branches.
"Our whole city is different—better—because of the work Esther and the NYPL did. We serve and strengthen communities, and to continue that work is an honor."
— Caryl Matute, Deputy Director, Branch Libraries and Education
Catherine Allen Latimer
Latimer was the first African American librarian hired by NYPL and helped create the Schomburg Center.
"Latimer accomplished an awe-inspiring amount during her tenure with NYPL—not least, being the steward of the collection that would evolve to become the Schomburg Center—leaving behind an indelible legacy."
— Rhonda Evans, Assistant Chief Librarian, Schomburg Research & Reference Division
Maud Malone
Malone is known by history as a radical suffragist, but her work at the Library had its own activist bent.
"What I most admire about Malone are the qualities that led to her being forgotten: integrity, an unswerving commitment to her convictions, and a willingness to embrace unpopular positions."
— Susan Kriete, Librarian II, Maps, Local History and Genealogy
Anne Carroll Moore
Moore was a pioneer in children’s librarianship, advocating to make libraries welcoming spaces to users of all ages.
"Our objective is to create community centers where children can gather, learn, play, and develop a lifelong love of reading. This was at the heart of all that Moore espoused, as she believed that respect for children went a lot further than signs demanding 'SILENCE.' "
— Louise Lareau, Managing Librarian, SNFL Children’s Center
Marianne Moore
Moore was a pivotal American, Modernist poet of the 20th century who worked as a part-time clerk at the Hudson Park Branch of The New York Public Library, which some critics have linked to the exacting and cataloguing character of her writing.
"The way Moore tells it, she came to poetry—if not by happenstance, if not reluctantly—then almost as if she had no choice."
— Carolyn Vega, Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Curator of English and American Literature
Genevieve Oswald
Oswald was the founding curator of the Library for the Performing Arts' dance collection—the largest in the world.
"Genevieve instilled in her staff a fierce passion for dance archiving...That devotion is still present in the Division that she shaped and embodied in the staff who inherited her energy and purpose."
— Linda Murray, Associate Director, Collections & Research Services and Curator, Jerome Robbins Dance Division at the Library for the Performing Arts
Ernestine Rose
Rose made important first steps in integrating the Library and making it more supportive of communities of color.
"She paved the way for many of us. I’m grateful to her for opening doors for African American women to come into the Library and shape it."
— Nicole Nelson, Library Manager, Countee Cullen Library
Margaret Scoggin
Scoggin was an early and influential champion of the idea of young adult public librarianship.
"Because of her advocacy and efforts, there is a nationally recognized understanding that having a library space dedicated to teens and their needs is vital and critical."
— Ricci Yuhico, Managing Librarian, Young Adult Services, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library
Ann Thornton
Thornton was the first woman to serve as Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Library’s Research Libraries.
"Ann had a vision for expanding the Library’s resource-sharing networks to increase access to collections for NYPL patrons, and also to reduce barriers to access."
— Denise Hibay, Astor Director for Collections and Research Services
Carolyn Ulrich
Ulrich was chief of the New York Public Library’s Periodicals Division and created the field’s go to resource, still in use by librarians today.
"It is a testament to the essential nature of Carolyn Ulrich’s periodical directory, first published in 1932, that librarians continue to use it today."
— Shannon Keller, Helen Bernstein Librarian for Periodicals and Journals
Mabel Williams
Williams was instrumental in adding a teen section at the Library with her groundbreaking work, culminating in the creation of the Library's first "NYPL Books for Young People" list.
"She advocated tirelessly for the teens of New York City and for their reading and programming needs—and this included hiring librarians who would understand and meet those needs."
— Anne Rouyer, Supervising Young Adult Librarian, Mulberry Street Library
Melanie Yolles
Yolles is an archivist who was on the cutting edge of digital access to archives, entering the Library’s first archival inventory in digital form in 1988.
"If it were possible to compile her countless letters, emails, and in-person discussions with researchers, it would be a formidable educational resource—required reading for all new staff—and humbling for any of us who think we know the collections well."
— William Stingone, Aaron and Clara Greenhut Rabinowitz Associate Director, Preservation and Collections Processing
Discover Women's History Month at NYPL
The New York Public Library honors women past and present in celebration of Women's History Month this March. Join us for programs and events, resources, recommended reading, and more.