author
Harry Lyman Koopman
1860–1937
A longtime Brown University librarian, he combined a life in books with a quiet literary career of his own. His work ranged from poetry to essays on reading, collecting, and the history of books.
1 Audiobook
The Booklover and His Books
by Harry Lyman Koopman
About the author
Born in Freeport, Maine, on July 1, 1860, he graduated from Colby College and began his career in libraries after a brief period of teaching. He worked at the Astor Library, then at Cornell and Harvard, before earning an M.A. from Harvard in 1893 and becoming librarian of Brown University, a post he held until his retirement in 1930.
He became well known in library circles as both a scholar and an organizer. Brown's library history remembers him not only as a careful administrator, but also as an energetic collector whose interests helped shape important literary and book-history holdings.
He also wrote poetry and essays, showing the same affection for language that marked his professional life among books. He died on December 28, 1937, leaving behind a reputation as a devoted librarian, man of letters, and advocate for the world of reading.