John Edmands (February 1, 1820 – October 17, 1915) was an American

librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time ...

who was responsible for innovations in filing methodologies. He inspired Poole's guide to periodical

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

. He was born in

Framingham, Massachusetts Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a pop ...

, graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover, and then

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1847, and taught at Rocky Mount, North Carolina for a year before resuming study at

Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...

from 1848 to 1851. He was librarian for the Yale Debating Society,

Brothers in Unity Brothers in Unity (formally, the Society of Brothers in Unity) is an undergraduate society at Yale University. Founded in 1768 as a literary and debating society that encompassed nearly half the student body at its 19th-century peak, the group di ...

from 1846 to 1847 and was assistant in the Yale College library from 1851 to 1856. He was followed in that position by

William Frederick Poole William Frederick Poole (24 December 1821, Salem, Massachusetts – 1 March 1894) was an American bibliographer and librarian. Biography He graduated from Yale University in 1849, where he assisted John Edmands, who was a student at the Brothe ...

, who developed Edmands's ''Subjects for Debates with Reference to Authorities'' into
Poole's Index to Periodical Literature
'' In 1856 Edmands became chief librarian of the Mercantile Library, Philadelphia. He was one of the original members of 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 ...

, and one of its first vice presidents. He also served as head of the Association of Pennsylvania Librarians for several years.

Publications

* '
Subjects for debate, with references to authorities
'' (New Haven, 1847) * '
Historical sketch... the Central Congregational Church of Philadelphia
'' (E.E. Hayes & Co., 1894) * '
The Evolution of Congregationalism
'' (Free Press, 1916)

References

1820 births 1915 deaths American librarians People from Framingham, Massachusetts Yale Divinity School alumni Yale College alumni Phillips Academy alumni {{library-bio-stub