Catherine "Kitty" Scott (1927 - May 17, 2010) was the chief librarian and director for the Smithsonian's

National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...

. Scott served as the president of the

Special Libraries Association The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is an international professional association for library and information professionals working in business, government, law, finance, non-profit, and academic organizations and institutions. History The S ...

from 1992 to 1993.

Early life and education

Catherine D. Scott was born in 1927. Scott attended St. Cecilia's Academy on the Hill in Washington, D.C. Her first part-time job was with the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

, where she worked as a high school student during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. She also spent summers working in the Poster Division of the

Government Printing Office The United States Government Publishing Office (USGPO or GPO; formerly the United States Government Printing Office) is an agency of the legislative branch of the United States Federal government. The office produces and distributes information ...

during the war. During graduate school, she worked as an assistant librarian for the Export-Import Bank. Scott received her

Master of Library Science The Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS), also referred to as the Master of Library and Information Studies, is the master's degree that is required for most professional librarian positions in the United States. The MLIS is a relativ ...

from the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

in 1955.

Career

Scott held several government jobs, including at the library of the

Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bu ...

and the Army Corps of Engineers Library. She started the library at the

National Association of Home Builders The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is one of the largest trade associations in the United States, representing the interests of home builders, developers, contractors, and associated businesses. NAHB is headquartered in Washington, D ...

, working for that association for seven years. She was the founder and chief of the Technology Library at Bellcomm Inc., a subsidiary of the

AT&T Corporation AT&T Corporation, originally the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is the subsidiary of AT&T Inc. that provides voice, video, data, and Internet telecommunications and professional services to businesses, consumers, and government agen ...

. While at Bellcomm she worked closely on Project Apollo. She joined the National Air and Space Museum as a librarian in 1972. At the time, the museum had a Historical Research Center but no official library; documents were stored in warehouses across the organization. Scott helped to plan and maintain an official library, for which she received the Superior Service Award from the Secretary of the Smithsonian. Scott was appointed by President Nixon to serve on the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) in July 1971. She served a full five-year term, through 1976. She was the only librarian on the commission in its first years. In 1985, Scott published ''Aeronautics and Space Flight Collections'', which is considered the second major bibliographical work on aerospace archives. She was an active member of the Special Libraries Association (SLA), especially in its Aerospace Division and D.C. Chapter. Scott served as the president of the D.C. Chapter of SLA from 1971 to 192, and as the national president from 1992 to 1993. She was inducted into the SLA Hall of Fame in 1996.

Personal life and death

Scott was a delegate to two national Republican conventions. In 1964, she was elected secretary to the Republican Platform Committee. She was also a member of the

Capital Yacht Club The Capital Yacht Club is a yacht club located in The Wharf in Washington, D.C., United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in N ...

. Scott died at her home in Washington, D.C., on May 17, 2010.

References

External links

Voices of SLA: Kitty Scott
2009 interview focused on work with Special Libraries Association {{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Catherine 1927 births 2010 deaths Smithsonian Institution people American women librarians Catholic University of America alumni American librarians People from Washington, D.C.