Paul Allen Towne (December 8, 1823 – August 27, 1903) was an American educator, bibliophile, editor and librarian. He was the founder of the
Polytechnic Society of Kentucky.
Librarian in Louisville
Two years before coming to Louisville, Towne catalogued the library of the Young Men's Association of Buffalo, New York.
The following year Towne moved and conducted teachers' institutes throughout Kentucky.
In 1872, Towne was hired by
Reuben T. Durrett, as librarian of
the Public Library of Kentucky, located in downtown
Louisville
Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...
.
In 1876, Towne founded the
Polytechnic Society of Kentucky, with the help of prominent members of Louisville. The purpose of the society was to help save the library from its financial debt.
In 1877, Towne wrote for the ''Louisville Monthly'', a magazine, where he published articles about the Public Library of Kentucky and the Polytechnic Society. He also worked as editor for the magazine.
On December 13, 1878, Towne was discharged for insubordination. The Society was dissatisfied with his management of the library and festival halls, and ordered Towne to hand over his duties to the society's treasurer, Andrew MacDonald. His discharge came after he refused to surrender the safe in his office and card-index to his catalogue of books.
Towne relocated to New York and was hired at the
Astor Library
The Astor Library was a free public library in the East Village, Manhattan, developed primarily through the collaboration of New York City merchant John Jacob Astor and New England educator and bibliographer Joseph Cogswell and designed by Alex ...
, now the
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...
.
References
* Stebbins, L. P. (n.d.). Towne 3. Retrieved April 30, 2017, from
http://nyheritage.nnyln.net/cdm/ref/collection/p16694coll11/id/101
* Breyer, W. R., & Kinkade, E. L. (1944). ''Libraries and lotteries: a history of the Louisville free public library''. Cynthiana, KY: Hobson Press.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Towne, Paul
1823 births
1903 deaths
Educators from Kentucky
American librarians
19th-century American educators