Theodore Wesley Koch

Born in Philadelphia on August 4, 1871, Theodore Wesley Koch became one of the best-known academic librarians of his generation. After earning his M.A. from Harvard in 1894, he worked with the Fiske Dante collection at Cornell, served at the Library of Congress, and went on to hold senior library posts at the University of Michigan and Northwestern University.

Koch was director of the University of Michigan Library from 1905 to 1915, and from 1919 until his death in 1941 he was Northwestern University's librarian. At Northwestern he oversaw the planning and construction of Deering Library and worked to keep the library strong through the Great Depression.

He was also a prolific writer and editor whose books reflected a deep love of literature, bibliography, and library culture. His work helped connect everyday readers, scholars, and librarians, and he remains a notable figure in the history of American librarianship.