Sabra Wilbur Vought (May 23, 1877 – March 2, 1942) was an American academic librarian and federal official. Beginning in 1937, she was librarian for the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the m ...

, covering library services for the

Office of Education The Office of Education, at times known as the Department of Education and the Bureau of Education, was a small unit in the Federal Government of the United States within the U.S. Department of the Interior from 1867 to 1972. It is now separated ...

as well as the Bureau of Mines, the

Office of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and Al ...

, and the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government within the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of ...

Early life and education

Vought as born in

Towanda, Pennsylvania Towanda is a borough and the county seat of Bradford County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is located northwest of Wilkes-Barre, on the Susquehanna River. The name means "burial ground" in the Algon ...

, the daughter of Frank M. Vought and Adella (or Almeda) M. Wilbur Vought. She was raised in

Jamestown, New York Jamestown is a city in southern Chautauqua County, in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 28,712 at the 2020 census. Situated between Lake Erie to the north and the Allegheny National Forest to the south, Jamestown is the largest po ...

, and graduated from

Allegheny College he, תגל ערבה ותפרח כחבצלת , mottoeng = "Add to your faith, virtue and to your faith, knowledge" ( 2 Peter 1:5)"The desert shall rejoice and the blossom as the rose" (Isaiah 35:1) , faculty = 193 ...

in 1899. She trained as a librarian at the

New York State Library School The New York State Library School was a school of library science. Melvil Dewey established the school at Columbia University. Many of the school's records are currently held at Columbia University. In 1889, it was moved to Albany, New York ...

, earning a second bachelor's degree in 1901, in library science.

Career

Vought was an academic and government librarian, with positions at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

(1901 to 1910), the Ohio Library Commission, Allegheny College, the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by ...

(1919-1924), and

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State becam ...

(1924 to 1930). In 1904 and 1905, she taught at the Summer School for Librarians in

Winona Lake, Indiana Winona Lake is a town in Wayne Township, Kosciusko County, in the U.S. state of Indiana, and the major suburb of Warsaw. The population was 4,908 at the 2010 census. Geography Winona Lake is located at (41.220818, -85.817118). It is now contiguo ...

. In 1906 she began teaching at the Summer Library School in

Chautauqua, New York Chautauqua ( ) is a town and lake resort community in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 4,017 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Chautauqua Lake. It is the home of the Chautauqua Institution and the birthplac ...

. She also taught at the

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 Unive ...

, and at the Library Service School in

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire and ...

. In 1930, Vought was appointed director of library service for the United States Office of Education, federal liaison to 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 ...

and administrator of "a technical library of over 125,000 volumes". She also wrote a monthly column for the Office of Education's publication, ''School Life.'' In 1937 she became librarian for the Department of the Interior, covering library services for the Office of Education as well as the Bureau of Mines, the Office of Indian Affairs, and the National Park Service. Vought was an active member of the District of Columbia Library Association, 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 promot ...

(DAR),

Altrusa International Altrusa International, Inc (Altrusa) is an international non-profit organization focused on community service. It was founded in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1917 by Dr. Alfred Durham as a chain of national clubs for business and professional women. H ...

, the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,00 ...

(AAUW),

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

, and 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 stud ...

Publications

* ''Use of Periodicals'' (1911) * "Training the School Librarian" (1922) * "The Development of the School Library" (1923) * ''Library Service'' (1931, with Edith Anna Lathrop) * "The Library of the Federal Office of Education" (1934) * "The Office of Education Library", "College Catalog Collection", and "Special Collections in the Library" (1937)

Personal life

Vought was close to her cousins in California. She died in 1942, in Washington, D.C., aged 64 years. There is a small collection of her papers at the

University at Albany, State University of New York The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...

.Sabra W. Vought Papers, 1924
M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vought, Sabra Wilbur 1877 births 1942 deaths American librarians People from Towanda, Pennsylvania New York State Library School alumni Allegheny College alumni