George Herbert Locke (March 29, 1870 – January 28, 1937) was a Canadian librarian. He was chief librarian of the Toronto Public Library from 1908 until his death, a time of great expansion in that library system. In 1926-27 he became the second Canadian to be president of the American Library Association.[1] The George H. Locke Memorial Branch of the Toronto Public Library, which opened in 1949, is named after him.[2][3]
George Locke | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President of the American Library Association | |
| In office 1926–1927 | |
| Preceded by | Charles F. D. Belden |
| Succeeded by | Carl B. Roden |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Herbert Locke March 29, 1870 Beamsville, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | January 28, 1937 (aged 66) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Education | University of Toronto |
| Occupation | Librarian |
Biography
editLocke was born in Beamsville, Ontario, on March 29, 1870,[4] and was educated at Ryerson Public School in Toronto, Brampton High School, and Collingwood Collegiate Institute. He studied at Victoria University,[5] and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1893. After graduating, he taught as a professor of ancient history at the University of Toronto and continued to teach at other colleges in subsequent years. He served as editor of the School Review while at the University of Chicago and was also the author of books on Canadian history. He was a member of the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto, and served as president from 1910–1912.[6] He was survived by his wife Grace Moore Locke.[7]
In 1930, Locke, along with Mary J. L. Black and John Ridington, were hired as part of a commission of inquiry into the conditions of Canadian public libraries. As part of the commission, Locke and the other commissioners toured Canada to visit and report on local libraries. The commission concluded in 1933 with the publication of Libraries in Canada: A Study of Library Conditions and Needs.[8][9]
By 1930, Toronto's public library system was recognized as one of the best in North America and George Locke's reputation as a visionary leader had vaulted him to the Presidency of the American Library Association.[10]
He died on January 28, 1937, in Toronto.[4]
Bibliography
edit- Builders of the Canadian Commonwealth. 1923.
- The education of a people : the inaugural lecture delivered at Macdonald College. 1908.
- English History (ALA: Reading with a purpose). 1930.
- Libraries in Canada : a study of library conditions and needs. 1933.
- When Canada Was New France. 1919.
References
edit- ^ "ALA's Past Presidents". American Library Association. 20 November 2007. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- ^ "George H. Locke : History of Toronto Public Library".
- ^ "George H. Locke, 1870-1937". Libraries Today. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- ^ a b Anderson, Margaret (1978). "Locke, William Herbert (1870–1937)". In Wynar, Bohdan S. (ed.). Dictionary of American Library Biography. Libraries Unlimited. pp. 317–319. ISBN 0-87287-180-0. OCLC 3608952.
- ^ "Newspapermen" file, William Perkins Bull fonds, Region of Peel Archives, Brampton.
- ^ Arts and Letters Club of Toronto. "Gallery of Presidents". Arts and Letters Club of Toronto. Archived from the original on 2021-11-09. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ American Library Association (1937). "George Herbert Locke, 1870-1937". Bulletin of the American Library Association. 31 (2): 87. JSTOR 25689016.
- ^ "Experiments in Rural Libraries Nearing a Close". Brandon Daily Sun. November 6, 1935. p. 11. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ Peel, Bruce (1982). "Librarianship in Canada Before 1952". Archivaria. 15: 78–85.
- ^ Bruce, Lorne (2023). George Herbert Locke and the Transformation of Toronto Public Library, 1908-1937. University of Waterloo. p. 150.
Further reading
edit- Bruce, Lorne D. (2020). George Herbert Locke and the Transformation of Toronto Public Library, 1908–1937. (Waterloo, ON: Lorne D. Bruce). ISBN 9780986666629
External links
edit- Biography of George H. Locke at Ex Libris Association
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