Dorothy M. Crosland

Last updated

Dorothy Murray Crosland (September 13, 1903 - March 24, 1983) was the long-time head librarian of the Georgia Tech Library at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Initially appointed as Assistant Librarian in 1925, she was promoted to Librarian in 1927 and Director of Libraries in 1953, a title she would hold until her retirement in 1971. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Education and early life

Crosland was born on September 13, 1903 in Stone Mountain, Georgia. She went to Girls High School in Atlanta, and graduated in 1923 with a degree from the Library School of the Carnegie Library of Atlanta, later known as the Emory University School of Library Science. [1]

Career

Crosland Tower at Georgia Tech Crosland Tower, Georgia Tech.jpg
Crosland Tower at Georgia Tech

In 1945, Crosland was named the Woman of the Year in Education. [1] [4] Crosland was the executive secretary (from 1950 to 1952) and president (from 1952 to 1954) of the Southeastern Library Association and president of the Georgia Library Association from 1949 to 1951. [1] Crosland oversaw the planning and construction of the current library building and the architecture library at Georgia Tech, both of which were dedicated in 1952. [5] [2] She also oversaw the construction of the Graduate Addition, a tower one-and-a-half times the size of the existing library, which was completed in 1968. [2] The building's dedication stated: "In a real sense these two buildings are a memorial to Dorothy M. Crosland, Director of Libraries. Through her industry, her persistence and perseverance, her foresightedness, both structures have been conceived and brought to completion." [2] The Graduate Addition was renamed the Crosland Tower in 1985. [2]

Crossland played a key role in the foundation of the College of Computing through her involvement in the convening of a series of conferences in 1961 and 1962. These would eventually result in the establishment of the School of Information (as it was then known) and the United States' first master's program in Information Science. [6]

In 1961, she was named an honorary alumna of Georgia Tech. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia State University</span> Public research university in Atlanta, GA, U.S.

Georgia State University is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the largest institution of higher education by enrollment based in Georgia and is in the top 10 in the nation in number of students with a diverse majority-minority student population of around 54,000 students, including approximately 33,000 undergraduate and graduate students at the main campus downtown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technology Square (Atlanta)</span> Neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia

Technology Square, commonly called Tech Square, is a multi-block neighborhood located in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Tech Square is bounded by 8th Street on the north, 3rd Street on the south, West Peachtree Street to the east, and Williams Street to the west. Tech Square includes several academic buildings affiliated with Georgia Tech and provides access to the campus via the Fifth Street Pedestrian Plaza Bridge, reconstructed in 2007. It also contains restaurants, retail shops, condominiums, office buildings, and a hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E. J. Josey</span> African-American librarian

Elonnie J. Josey was an African-American activist and librarian. Josey was the first chair of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, having been instrumental in its formation in 1970; served as president of the American Library Association from 1984 to 1985; and was the author of over 400 books and other publications.

The College of Design at the Georgia Institute of Technology, established in 1908 as the Department of Architecture and also formerly called the College of Architecture, offered the first four-year course of study in architecture in the Southern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scheller College of Business</span>

The Scheller College of Business is the business school at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. It was established in 1912, and is consistently ranked in the top 30 business programs in the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Institute of Technology College of Computing</span>

The College of Computing is a college of the Georgia Institute of Technology, a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. It is divided into four schools: the School of Computer Science, the School of Interactive Computing, the School of Computational Science & Engineering, and the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy. The College of Computing's programs are consistently ranked among the top 10 computing programs in the nation. In 2022, U.S. News & World Report ranked the Computer Science graduate program #6 in the U.S. In 2016, Times Higher Education and the Wall Street Journal ranked the College #5 in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tech Tower</span> Historical building on the central campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia

The Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Administration Building, commonly known as Tech Tower, is a historic building and focal point of the central campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Georgia Institute of Technology</span> Aspect of history surrounding the Georgia Institute of Technology

The history of the Georgia Institute of Technology can be traced back to Reconstruction-era plans to develop the industrial base of the Southern United States. Founded on October 13, 1885, in Atlanta as the Georgia School of Technology, the university opened in 1888 after the construction of Tech Tower and a shop building and only offered one degree in mechanical engineering. By 1901, degrees in electrical, civil, textile, and chemical engineering were also offered. In 1948, the name was changed to the Georgia Institute of Technology to reflect its evolution from an engineering school to a full technical institute and research university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Tech Library</span>

The Georgia Tech Library is an academic library that serves the needs of students, faculty, and staff at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The library consists of the S. Price Gilbert Memorial Library and Dorothy M. Crosland Tower. In addition, the library is connected to and manages the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons.

Frances Lander Spain was a children's librarian and an instructor of school library services. In 1960, she became the first children's librarian to ever hold the position of president of the American Library Association (ALA). Spain was named one of the library's "100 Most Important Leaders We Had in the 20th Century."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James E. Boyd (scientist)</span> American physicist and administrator (1906–1998)

James Emory Boyd was an American physicist, mathematician, and academic administrator. He was director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute from 1957 to 1961, president of West Georgia College from 1961 to 1971, and acting president of the Georgia Institute of Technology from 1971 to 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Tech</span> Public university in the United States

The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of the University System of Georgia and has satellite campuses in Savannah, Georgia; Metz, France; Shenzhen, China; and Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L. W. Robert Jr.</span>

Lawrence Wood "Chip" Robert Jr. (1889–1976) was a 1908 graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and founder of noted Atlanta engineering and architectural firm, Robert and Company.

James "Jim" Edward Dull was dean of students of Georgia Institute of Technology from 1964 to 1991. Dull was instrumental in the peaceful integration of Georgia Tech, and he oversaw many improvements with student life during his tenure at Georgia Tech.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology</span> Buildings in Atlanta, Georgia, United States

The main campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology occupies part of Midtown Atlanta, primarily bordered by 10th Street to the north, North Avenue to the south, and, with the exception of Tech Square, the Downtown Connector to the East, placing it well in sight of the Atlanta skyline. In 1996, the campus was the site of the athletes' village and a venue for a number of athletic events for the 1996 Summer Olympics. The construction of the Olympic Village, along with subsequent gentrification of the surrounding areas, significantly changed the campus.

The Southeastern Library Association (SELA) is an organization that collaborates with different library associations within the Southeastern United States, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annie L. McPheeters</span> American librarian and activist

Annie Lou McPheeters was an African American librarian and civil rights activist. She was known for starting the Negro History Collection at the Auburn Carnegie Library, in Atlanta Georgia. The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System named the Washington Park/Annie L. McPheeters Branch Library in honor of her work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Dart Butler</span> American librarian

Susan Dart Butler was an American librarian and milliner.

Mary Allan Ronnie is a retired New Zealand librarian. She was New Zealand's first female National Librarian, from 1976 to 1981, and the first woman in the world to head a national library. Before becoming National Librarian she was head of Dunedin Public Library, and later Auckland City Librarian.

Lorene Byron Brown was an African American librarian and Dean of the Atlanta University School of Library and Information Science from 1982 to 1989.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Dorothy M. Crosland Papers". Archives & Records Management. Georgia Tech Library . Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Jean Price; Virginia Kinman; Ann Vidor. "A History of the Georgia Tech Library" (PDF). University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science. pp. 98–102. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  3. Kent, Allen (1993). Encyclopedia of library and information science, Volume 52. p. 108. ISBN   0-8247-2052-0 . Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Harrison to Unveil Crosland Picture". The Technique . October 26, 1962. p. 6. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  5. "Let's Glance Backwards". The Technique . March 14, 1950. p. 4. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  6. Li, Lisha; Altamirano, Isabel M.; Finn, Bette M. (2017). "History of the Georgia Tech Library, with Emphasis on the Crosland Era". Paper Presented at the 2017 American Society for Engineering Education, Columbus, OH. hdl:1853/58508.