A Few Questions Answered in Writing by Esther Ralph

January 25, 2008

What is your educational background?
B.S. in Ed. was West Chester Teachers College, May 1940. B.S. in LS [Library Science], Drexel University, 1941.

What drew you to apply for a job at Haverford College? Who hired you?
Miss Amy Post, Assistant Librarian of Haverford College came to Drexel to interview for the job of assistant cataloger. 3 were recommended—I was hired. My only other library job was as a student assistant in the Library and as a summer student employee. I worked 4 years as a student assistant in the library and as a summer student employee.

When you were hired in 1941, what was your job? Had you just graduated from school or did you have earlier jobs? What was your training? What other jobs did you have at the Library?
Other jobs at Haverford Library @ Binding and head of circulation and Cataloging.

What was your experience with your co-workers? With faculty? With students?
Good experience with co-workers, staff and students.

With the library directors with whom you worked including Dean Lockwood and Craig Thompson?
For the first years I worked there the Librarians were always faculty—Dean Lockwood, Jack Lester, Dr. Bronner—Craig Thompson was the first hired outside the College. The first professional librarian was hired after I retired.

Could you give some specific illustrations of events/procedures/people here that were memorable?
Events—Eleanor Roosevelt speaking at chapel. Von Trapps (Sound of Music Family) at chapel.

How did being part of the Haverford community affect or interact with your family life?
My family was proud that I worked at Haverford College. My co-workers spoiled my children by giving them Christmas gifts.

What did you know about Quakers before you came to Haverford?
Malvern had a Quaker meeting house and at least 3 families that still wore the Quaker black dress and bonnets when I was a child.

How was the Library affected by World War II?
Very few students during World War II. 2 army units lived in. They had some of their classes in the basement of the library. Had exercises in the college field. That lasted a very short time.

What about the Library buildings?
I came to Haverford in Sept. 1941, just after the wing that is now under the clock in what was the card catalog. Before that time books were shelved in 2 sections of the library, the most used and newest books in the original part of the Library, older books with the dot above the call no. in the stacks.

Where was the music collection of scores before it moved to Union?
5th floor???

Where was the Science Library before it was located in Stokes?
Physics was in Sharpless hall [Esther added later that there were also libraries for engineering in Hilles, chemistry in Hall, and biology in Sharpless.]

When you came in 1941, were staff members mostly women? Was this partly because of World War II or did more women than men want to work in libraries?
Library staff in 1941 all women except for student helpers. I believe it was because more women than men wanted to work in libraries.