Elizabeth Nesbitt (April 15, 1897 – August 17, 1977), also known as Betty Nesbitt was an American children's librarian and a library science educator. She was known “internationally as an authority on children's literature”, and made “(s)trong contributions” to children's librarianship.

Early life and education

Elizabeth Nesbitt was born on April 15, 1897, in

Northumberland, Pennsylvania Northumberland is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,804 at the 2010 census. History A brewer named Reuben Haines, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded the town of Northumberland in ...

, north of

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...

on the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

, United States. After completing her studies in a private school, she earned the A.B. degree from the Goucher College for women,

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

in 1918. She also got another bachelor's degree in library science from Carnegie Library School in 1931. She went on to earn a master's degree in English from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

in 1935.

Career

In 1919 her family moved from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. She briefly worked as a teacher in a private school in Pittsburgh. She later joined as an assistant at the Carnegie Library School of Pittsburgh. In 1948 she was appointed as associate dean of the Carnegie Library School, and she held this position until her retirement in 1962. She then became a lecturer of the Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences of the University of Pittsburgh. During the summers she taught library sciences related courses in a number of prominent higher educational institutions including

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

. She was associated with a number of professional associations such as

Pennsylvania Library Association The Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA) is the professional association for librarians in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It represents about 2,000 members affiliated with public, academic, special, and school libraries throughout the state, ...

and

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 ...

. She was also known as a storyteller.

Publications

Elizabeth Nesbitt co-authored ''A Critical History of Children's Literature'', which remains “a landmark publication” in the field.

Awards and honors

Elizabeth Nesbitt received numerous awards and honors for her contributions in the field of library sciences and children's literature. These include *''Pittsburgh’s Ten Women of Talent'' (1955) *''Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania'' (1958) * '' Distinguished Service Award'' (1962) by the Pennsylvania Library Association *''

Beta Phi Mu Beta Phi Mu (also or βφμ) is the international honor society for library & information science and information technology. Founded by a group of librarians and library educators, the society's express purpose is to recognize and encourage "su ...

Award for Distinguished Service '' *''Clarence Day Award '' (1965) by the American Library Association In her honor, in 1976, the University of Pittsburgh named a room at the Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences, as the Elizabeth Nesbitt Room, which houses an important historical collection of children's books. She died at the age of 80 in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, on August 17, 1977, of “cancer”.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nesbitt, Elizabeth 1897 births 1977 deaths Librarians from Pennsylvania‎ People from Northumberland, Pennsylvania Goucher College alumni University of Pittsburgh alumni American Library Association people American women academics Deaths from cancer in New Jersey