Antoinette Humphreys

Antoinette Humphreys
Antoinette Humphreys from a 1911 publication
Born
Antoinette Marie Humphreys

1872 (1872)
Died1917 (aged 44–45)
NationalityAmerican
Other namesAntoinette Humphreys Hollabaugh
OccupationLibrarian
Years active1895–1911
Known forFirst county librarian of Merced County, California

Antoinette Marie Humphreys Hollabaugh (1872–1917) was an American librarian. She was a librarian in Redlands, California from 1895 to 1910, and in 1910 was the first county librarian of Merced County, California and Colusa County, California.

Early life

Antoinette Marie Humphreys was the daughter of English-born cigarmaker Alfred Humphreys[1] and Frances Higley Humphreys of Redlands, California.[2]

Career

Humphreys was the librarian at the public library in Redlands[3] for fifteen years, beginning in 1895.[4][5] She put an emphasis on works that supported local schools, and on collecting local history items and texts.[6] In 1910,[7][8] she became the first county librarian of Merced County, California,[9] part of a state-wide expansion of free library services and county library systems.[10] She opened the main library and eight branch locations in 1910 and 1911.[11] She was active in the California Library Association,[12][13] and addressed the annual California County Librarians Conference in 1911.[14]

As Antoinette Hollabaugh, she worked for two months as the first county librarian of Colusa County, in 1916.[15]

Personal life

Antoinette Humphreys resigned as Merced County librarian in 1911,[16] when she married banker Thomas Greene Hollabaugh.[17] The Hollabaughs lived in Gustine, California.[2] She died in 1917, in her mid-forties.[18]

Humphreys was featured in an exhibit at the Merced County Courthouse Museum in 2010, marking the centenary of library services in the county.[11][19]

References

  1. ^ "Aged Citizen is Taken by Death". The San Bernardino County Sun. January 26, 1935. p. 13. Retrieved November 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b "Wedding of Miss Humphreys". The San Bernardino County Sun. December 24, 1911. p. 8. Retrieved November 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Redlands Statistics from Library". The Los Angeles Times. April 10, 1903. p. 12. Retrieved November 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Tour finds 'Treasures of hidden neighborhoods'". Redlands Daily Facts. April 22, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  5. ^ "Redlands". Los Angeles Herald. July 6, 1895. p. 3. Retrieved October 31, 2019 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  6. ^ Irshay, Phyllis (April 24, 1973). "Dedication of People Helps Library Build Quality". Redlands Daily Facts. p. 5. Retrieved November 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Redlands Brevities". Los Angeles Herald. August 13, 2010. p. 14. Retrieved October 31, 2019 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  8. ^ "Is to Quit the Library Work". San Bernardino Sun. June 19, 1910. p. 10. Retrieved October 31, 2019 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  9. ^ Lim, Sarah (February 7, 2019). "Preserving History is Important and Fun". Merced Sun-Star. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  10. ^ "Counties Help Lovers of Books". The San Francisco Examiner. May 14, 1911. p. 21. Retrieved November 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b "Many A Page Has Been Turned: 100 Years of Merced County Free Library". Merced County Courthouse Museum. April 15, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  12. ^ California Library Association (1918). Handbook and Proceedings of the Annual Meeting. p. 33.
  13. ^ "State Librarians Begin Talkfest at Long Beach". Los Angeles Herald. April 26, 1910. p. 13. Retrieved October 31, 2019 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  14. ^ "County Librarian Opposes Red Tape". San Francisco Call. October 11, 1911. p. 4. Retrieved October 31, 2019 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  15. ^ Meeker, Susan (June 17, 2015). "New librarian likes working in home". Appeal-Democrat. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  16. ^ "To Wed Librarian of Merced County". Modesto News. November 20, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved November 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Former Librarian Will Wed". The San Bernardino County Sun. November 11, 1911. p. 6. Retrieved November 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Resolutions Committee". Handbook and Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the California Library Association, 1917. 1917. p. 33.
  19. ^ "Courthouse Museum centennial exhibit to open April 15 with state librarian as speaker". Modesto Bee. April 6, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2019.