author
William Frederick Poole
1821–1894
Best known for creating a groundbreaking index to periodical literature, this pioneering American librarian helped readers and researchers find their way through a growing world of magazines and journals. His work also shaped major libraries in Boston, Cincinnati, and Chicago.
2 Audiobooks
Anti-Slavery Opinions before the Year 1800 Read before the Cincinnati Literary Club, November 16, 1872
by William Frederick Poole, George Buchanan
The Popham Colony : a discussion of its historical claims, with a bibliography of the subject
by William Frederick Poole, Edward Ballard, Frederic Kidder
About the author
Born in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1821, William Frederick Poole became one of the most influential librarians and bibliographers of the 19th century. While still a student at Yale, he produced the first edition of Poole’s Index to Periodical Literature, a reference work that became an essential tool for locating articles in magazines and journals.
Poole went on to lead several important libraries, including the Boston Athenaeum, the Cincinnati Public Library, the Chicago Public Library, and later the Newberry Library. He was widely respected for his practical approach to library service and for helping shape the growth of modern American librarianship.
Alongside his library work, he also wrote on history and public affairs. Today he is remembered chiefly for making information easier to discover long before the digital age, giving scholars and general readers a powerful way to navigate vast collections of printed material.