Effie Louise Power
| Effie Louise Power | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 12, 1873 Conneautville, Pennsylvania |
| Died | October 8, 1969 (aged 96) Conneautville, Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Children's Librarian, author, educator, and storyteller |
| Parent(s) | William Ellis Power and Francis Billings Power |
Effie Louise Power (February 12, 1873 – October 8, 1969) was a children's librarian, educator, author, and storyteller. She encouraged children's book production and evaluated children's literature. Power “directly influenced the development of services to children in three major U.S. cities: Cleveland, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh.” Power also traveled across the country lecturing students and librarians on children and youth library services. She worked to build a network of children's librarians across the country who supported each other and established high standards for all in the profession.
Power was born in Conneautville, Pennsylvania in the United States to mother Francis Billing and father William Ellis Power. Power never married or had children.
After graduating from high school, William Howard Brett, a Power family neighbor, jump-started Power's career by encouraging her to write the entrance exam for the Cleveland Public Library (CPL). Shortly thereafter, Power began working at the CPL in 1895. Brett, a librarian at the CPL, not only served as Power's mentor during her time there, but also put her in charge of the "Junior Alcove". Later, on February 22, 1898, Brett opened the CPL's first stand-alone children's room. He put Power in charge, effectively making her the first children's librarian in the Cleveland Public Library System.
As the Cleveland Public Library's children's librarian, Power worked to instill in children a love of books and reading. She also sought to debunk the myth that children lacked interest in nonfiction. At the time, people believed that children had to be forced to read nonfiction books. Power believed that with encouragement and when given ample opportunity, children could enjoy nonfiction. To prove her point, Power took age-appropriate nonfiction works from the other library sections and displayed them on the shelves in the children's room. As she expected, the children loved the books.
Power graduated from the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh, PA in 1904. She earned a diploma in their program for children's librarians. Two years later she graduated with a teaching certificate from Columbia University.
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