Gladys Ann English (d. Dec. 5, 1956) was an American librarian and editor known for her work as Head Librarian of the Children's Department at the

Los Angeles Central Library Richard J. Riordan Central Library, also known as the Los Angeles Central Library, is the main branch of the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL), in Downtown Los Angeles. It is named after Mayor of Los Angeles Richard Riordan. It consists of tw ...

and roles as Coordinator of Children's Services and Director of Work with Children for the

Los Angeles Public Library The Los Angeles Public Library system (LAPL) is a public library system in Los Angeles, California. The system holds more than six million volumes, and with around 19 million residents in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area, it serves the large ...

system. In 1939, English served as chairperson of the

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...

Selection Committee, and sat as a member of the committee for the years

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

and

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which Nuclear weapon, nuclear weapons Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have been used in combat. Events Below, ...

. In October

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in w ...

, she became the first-ever editor of ''Top of the News'', an eight-page news quarterly serving the

ALA Ala, ALA, Alaa or Alae may refer to: Places * Ala, Hiiu County, Estonia, a village * Ala, Valga County, Estonia, a village * Ala, Alappuzha, Kerala, India, a village * Ala, Iran, a village in Semnan Province * Ala, Gotland, Sweden * Alad, S ...

Division of Libraries for Children and Young People (DLCYP).

Career

English worked for the library system from 1930 through 1950.

Gladys English Collection of Original Illustration for Children’s Books

After her death in 1956, English's life partner, librarian

Althea Warren Althea Hester Warren (December 18, 1886December 19, 1958) was the director of the Los Angeles (California) Public Library from 1933 to 1947 and president of the American Library Association in 1943-1944. Martha Boaz, Fervent and Full of Gifts: Th ...

, established the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

's Gladys English Memorial Collection, also called the Gladys English Collection of Original Illustration for Children’s Books, or the Gladys English Collection for short. Warren spent the better part of two years growing the collection, soliciting books, pieces of art, and other items from hundreds of sources, from artists to librarians to publishers. The collection consists of 12 large cases of over 200 original children's books illustrations and other media, including the original work of 20

Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Servic ...

recipients. Illustrators whose works are part of the conglomeration include Leo Politi,

Tomie dePaola Thomas Anthony "Tomie" dePaola (; September 15, 1934 – March 30, 2020) was an American writer and illustrator who created more than 260 children's books, such as ''Strega Nona''. He received the Children's Literature Legacy Award for his lifetim ...

Jean George Jean Carolyn Craighead George (July 2, 1919 – May 15, 2012) was an American writer of more than one hundred books for children and young adults, including the Newbery Medal-winning ''Julie of the Wolves'' and Newbery runner-up '' My Side ...

Evaline Ness Evaline Ness (April 24, 1911 – August 12, 1986) was an American commercial artist, illustrator, and author of children's books. She illustrated more than thirty books for young readers and wrote several of her own. She is noted for using a ...

, Leo Lionni, and others.

Gladys English Database

The Los Angeles Public Library has a database named in English's honor. The database provides public access to the Gladys English Collection.

Personal life

English lived with her life partner, librarian

, in a variety of locations across Los Angeles including

Palos Verdes The Palos Verdes Peninsula (''Palos Verdes'', Spanish for "Green Sticks") is a landform and a geographic sub-region of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, within southwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. Located in the S ...

and Eagle Rock.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:English, Gladys 1956 deaths American women librarians 20th-century American LGBT people