Inez Mabel Crawford (August 16, 1869 – February 1938) was a prominent socialite in

Ottawa, Kansas Ottawa (pronounced ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Franklin County, Kansas, United States. It is located on both banks of the Marais des Cygnes River near the center of Franklin County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the c ...

who moved to

San Mateo, California San Mateo ( ; ) is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula. About 20 miles (32 km) south of San Francisco, the city borders Burlingame to the north, Hillsborough to the west, San Francisco Bay and Foster C ...

, and worked for many years as the first city librarian and head librarian of the San Mateo City Library.

Early life

Inez Mabel Crawford was born on August 16, 1869, in

, the daughter of Levi Russell Crawford (1834–1897) and Inezette J. Kalloch (1847–1928). She had two brothers, Clarence and Ralph.

Career

Before moving to California, Crawford was the first president of Ottawa Federation of Women's Clubs, and the first registrar of the General Edward Hand Chapter of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

. She was the first city librarian and head librarian of the San Mateo City Library in

for 27 years from 1911 to 1937. As librarian, she reduced fines for late returns and adjusted her book acquisitions to the tastes of the community, including romances for the women of the community and adventure novels and mysteries for the men. Beyond her duties as librarian, she also worked towards the passage of a local bond issue that increased the size of the library by a factor of three. She was a member of the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

, California Library Association, California Book Plate Society, San Mateo Business and Professional Women's Club, and California Artists' Society. She was one of the local "notables" who founded the San Mateo Historical Society in 1935, using her library as its first meeting place. She served the California Library Association as president of its second district and became the chairman of the Art Section of the San Mateo Woman's Club.

Personal life

She moved to California in 1908 and lived at 216 Monte Diablo Ave.,

. She died in February 1938 and is buried at Highland Cemetery, Ottawa, Kansas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Inez Mabel 1869 births 1938 deaths People from Ottawa, Kansas 19th-century American women 20th-century American women 20th-century American people