author
Charles C. (Charles Coffin) Jewett
1816–1868
A pioneering American librarian, he helped shape the idea that libraries should share cataloging standards instead of working in isolation. His work at Brown, the Smithsonian, and the Boston Public Library made him an early force in building modern public and research libraries in the United States.
1 Audiobook
On the Construction of Catalogues of Libraries and Their Publication by Means of Separate, Stereotyped Titles With Rules and Examples
by Charles C. (Charles Coffin) Jewett
About the author
Born in Lebanon, Maine, in 1816, Charles Coffin Jewett became one of the most influential librarians of his era. He studied at Brown University, later worked at Andover Theological Seminary, and returned to Brown as librarian, where he reorganized and cataloged the library with unusual energy and care.
Jewett is best remembered for his push toward standardized cataloging and cooperation among libraries. At the Smithsonian Institution, where he served as librarian and assistant secretary, he argued for a national system that could let libraries share printed catalog records. That idea was ahead of its time, but it helped point American librarianship toward the more connected, organized future it would eventually build.
In 1858 he became superintendent of the Boston Public Library, continuing his work in one of the country's most important civic libraries. Though he died in 1868, his reputation endured because he saw libraries not just as storehouses of books, but as institutions that could serve a wider public more intelligently and efficiently.