Frederick Morgan Crunden (September 1, 1847 – October 28, 1911) was the head librarian of the

St. Louis Public Library The St. Louis Public Library is a municipal public library system in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It operates sixteen locations, including the main Central Library location. History In 1865, Ira Divoll, the superintendent of the St. Louis ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, from 1877 to 1909 and the president of the American Library Association in 1887-1889. Crunden was born in

Gravesend, England Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Rochester, it is t ...

to Benjamin and Mary (Morgan) Crunden. The family immigrated to the United States and settled in St. Louis, Missouri, when Crunden was still a child. He attended Washington University in St. Louis, graduating in 1868 with a bachelor of arts. Crunden taught in St. Louis public schools and at Washington University in St. Louis where he received a master's degree in 1872. In January 1877 he became secretary and librarian of the St. Louis Public Library which was, at the time, part of the

St. Louis Public Schools Saint Louis Public School District (SLPS) is the school district that operates public schools in the City of St. Louis, Missouri (but not St. Louis County, which is an entity independent of the city). History Beginnings The act of the Unite ...

. In 1904, Crunden hosted the American Library Association annual meeting at the

Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...

in St. Louis, which was attended by more than 500 librarians from 17 countries. Crunden focused on the relationship of schools and libraries, developing them in St. Louis so that they were modeled for others nationwide. He advocated and promoted a strong partnership between the National Education Association and the American Library Association. Crunden led an expansion of the St. Louis public schools library and oversaw its conversion into a free public library. He served as the first president of the Missouri state library association.

Publications

*
The new novel problem and its solution
' (1899) *
The Free Public Library, Its Uses and Value
' (1893)

References

External links

* 1847 births 1911 deaths Presidents of the American Library Association People from St. Louis American librarians Washington University in St. Louis alumni Washington University in St. Louis faculty American Library Association people People from Gravesend, Kent {{library-bio-stub