Emma Osterman Elmer (1867 – September 5, 1956) was an American librarian and author known for her cataloging work in the Philippines. She and her husband, botanist

Adolph Daniel Edward Elmer Adolph Daniel Edward Elmer (June 14, 1870 – 1942) was an American botanist and plant collector.. He was mostly active in the Philippines, his collections being described as new species by both himself and other botanists. The Japanese sent him ...

were held prisoner in

Santo Tomas Internment Camp Santo Tomas Internment Camp, also known as the Manila Internment Camp, was the largest of several camps in the Philippines in which the Japanese interned enemy civilians, mostly Americans, in World War II. The campus of the University of Santo T ...

during World War II. He died there and she returned to the United States. Emma Osterman was born in

Arlington, Nebraska Arlington is a village along the Elkhorn River in Washington County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,243 at the 2010 census. Arlington is named after Arlington, Ohio. History Arlington was originally called Bell Creek (after ne ...

. She was the author of several books about the plant life in the Philippines including ''Our Philippine Trees'' and ''Our Philippine Forests.'' She was also the creator of ''Checklist of publications of the government of the Philippine Islands,'' which she wrote while serving as Chief of the Public Documents section of the Philippine Library. This publication, which attempted to detail every publication created by the post-

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

government, was called "the most important publication issued by the Philippine Library since its inception." Elmer married Adolph Daniel Edward Elmer in 1902. They had one son, Anton Dambor Elmer, in 1906.

References

1956 deaths American women librarians Librarians from Nebraska People from Washington County, Nebraska {{library-bio-stub