Keyes Metcalf
| Keyes DeWitt Metcalf | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 13, 1889 Elyria, Ohio |
| Died |
November 3, 1983 (aged 94) Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Occupation | Librarian |
Keyes DeWitt Metcalf (April 13, 1889 – November 3, 1983) was an American librarian. He has been identified as one of the 100 most important leaders in librarianship by the journal American Libraries. In a career spanning over 75 years, he worked in various roles at the New York Public Library and served as the director of the Harvard University library system. He was known for his expertise in planning and designing research libraries.
Keyes Metcalf was born on April 13, 1889 in Elyria, Ohio, the son of Issacs Stevens Metcalf and Harriet Metcalf. Both of his parents died when he was very young and his sister, Marion, raised him. Among the values he learned growing up was an important emphasis on education. It was expected that he would, at least, earn an undergraduate degree. Growing up, his sister put together a family newsletter, and everyone was expected to contribute. Metcalf’s love of reading resulted in his contributions often being reviews of books he was reading.
Metcalf’s experience in libraries began when he was thirteen years old, when he worked for at the Oberlin College library. His brother-in-law, Azariah Root, was the librarian. Here, he was taught how to organize the shelves and process new orders that came to the library. Despite being promised pay at five cents an hour, Metcalf was never paid for his efforts. He says about this oversight, “I’m inclined to believe that absent-mindedness on my employer’s part, rather than poor work on mine, was why I was never paid…but I never ventured to complain.” Regardless of why he wasn’t paid, Metcalf greatly enjoyed what he did and he knew he had found his life’s work in librarianship.
After graduating high school, Metcalf attended Oberlin, once again working in the library under Root’s tutelage. It was during this period that Metcalf assisted in the opening of a new library at Oberlin, an experience that would help him later in life as he planned new libraries at Harvard. After the facility was completed, Metcalf was charged with coordinating the move of the stacks to the new building. While moving books into the library, Metcalf acted as the building’s security guard, setting up an elaborate system of stacked books in strategic locations to detect intruders. After graduating in 1911, Metcalf was accepted into the New York Public Library’s Library School. He graduated from the school in 1915.
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