MONROE, Margaret E(llen) 1914-2004

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born May 21, 1914, in New York, NY; died December 17, 2004, in Middleton, WI. Librarian, educator, and author. A former president of the American Library Association (ALA), Monroe was a leading figure in library science in the United States. She earned her B.A. from the New York State College at Albany in 1935, and her B.S. in library science there in 1937. She then completed a master's degree at Columbia University in 1939; later, in 1962, she would also receive her doctorate from Columbia. From 1939 until 1952, Monroe was a librarian at various branches in the New York Public Library system. She served as director of the American Heritage project for the ALA for the next two years. Monroe became a teacher in 1954, when she joined the faculty at Rutgers University as an associate professor. She remained at Rutgers until 1963, transferring to the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where she taught until 1981 and directed the Library School from 1963 until 1970. While at Madison, Monroe was also responsible for establishing the university's doctoral program in library science. Monroe's leadership in the field extended to professional organizations. In addition to heading the ALA for a time, she was a president of the American Association of Library Schools. Named one of Madison's Women of Distinction in 1992, an annual award was also named after her in 1985 by the ALA Reference and Adult Services Division. Monroe was the author, coauthor, or editor of several books during her career, including Library Adult Education (1963) and Partners for Lifelong Learning: Public Libraries and Adult Education (1991).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, February 1, 2005, p. 24.

ONLINE

Madison.com,http://www.madison.com/ (February 14, 2005).