Samuel Swett Green (February 20, 1837 – December 8, 1918) was an American librarian. Green was born in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

, to the

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is an Early Modern English, archaic English term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons and patients. The modern terms ''pharmacist'' and, in Brit ...

James Green and Elizabeth Swett. He was educated at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

, graduating in 1858. A few years later, he attended

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the religious studies, academic study of religion or for leadership role ...

but did not graduate until 1864 due to health issues. Forsaking the ministry, he began his library career in 1867, when he was appointed director of the Worcester Free Public Library. The library was heavily funded by Green’s uncle, Dr. John Green. As director, Green focused primarily on the technical aspects of librarianship. He also instituted an

interlibrary loan Inter-library loan (abbreviated ILL, sometimes called document delivery, document supply, inter-lending, inter-library services, inter-loan, or resource sharing) is a service that enables patrons of one library to borrow materials that are held by ...

system and a lending collection of artwork. In 1871, he took up the position of librarian, a position he held for 38 years. Green was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

in 1880.American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
/ref> he died in 1918 at 81

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Further reading