Frederick Morgan Crunden (September 1, 1847 – October 28, 1911) was the head librarian of the St. Louis Public Library in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, from 1877 to 1909 and the president 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. History 19th century ...

in 1887-1889. Crunden was born in

Gravesend, England Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the south bank of the River Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Rochester, it is the ad ...

to Benjamin and Mary (Morgan) Crunden. The family immigrated to the United States and settled in St. Louis, Missouri, when Crunden was still a child. He attended

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

, graduating in 1868 with a bachelor of arts. Crunden taught in St. Louis public schools and at Washington University in St. Louis where he received a master's degree in 1872. In January 1877 he became secretary and librarian of the St. Louis Public Library which was, at the time, part of the St. Louis Public Schools. In 1904, Crunden hosted the

annual meeting at the

Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federa ...

in St. Louis, which was attended by more than 500 librarians from 17 countries. Crunden focused on the relationship of schools and libraries, developing them in St. Louis so that they were modeled for others nationwide. He advocated and promoted a strong partnership between the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college st ...

and the American Library Association. Crunden led an expansion of the St. Louis public schools library and oversaw its conversion into a free public library. He served as the first president of the Missouri state library association.

Publications

*
The new novel problem and its solution
' (1899) *
The Free Public Library, Its Uses and Value
' (1893)

References

External links

* 1847 births 1911 deaths Presidents of the American Library Association People from St. Louis Librarians from Missouri Washington University in St. Louis alumni People from Gravesend, Kent 19th-century American librarians 20th-century American librarians {{library-bio-stub