Baltimore County Public Library Directors
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Richard D. Minnich began as the first county librarian of the Baltimore County Public
Library on January 1, 1949. With the consolidation of independent community libraries into
one county library system in 1948, the newly appointed Board of Library Trustees chose Minnich to direct operations of the libraries. He served as Director until his death
on Friday, August 2, 1963.
He received his
liberal arts and library science degrees from the University of Michigan in
1934 and 1935 respectively. Mr. Minnich served in the Detroit Public Library
in Michigan from 1935 to 1938. Before coming to Baltimore County, Mr.
Minnich served as Director of the Easton Public Library, Easton,
Pennsylvania beginning in 1938. Mr. Minnich was a past president of the
Pennsylvania Library Association and the Maryland Library Association.
During Richard Minnich's tenure,
he oversaw Baltimore County Public Library's growth from individually
operated libraries to a unified library system with centralized functions and
initiated expanding branch coverage throughout the county. In 1950, he
started the centralized processing of books for all county libraries and the
listing of all book resources in a central catalog. By 1951, this progressed
far enough to warrant the establishment of a system of interlibrary loan
between the libraries. Mr. Minnich's first step in expansion of the system
was the purchase of a bookmobile in 1952.
Following Mr. Minnich's suggestion, a
comprehensive survey by Lowell Martin was made in 1957-1958 as a means of
authenticating the deficiencies in Baltimore County's public library service
and to determine the means to provide essential services on an adequate and
equitable basis. His persistence, patience and dedication led to the growth
and expansion of the Baltimore County Public Library along the lines
recommended by the survey.
Sources: Evening Sun 4/25/49, Herald Argus 4/29/49 and various
Baltimore County Public Library documents.
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Charles W. Robinson joined the staff of the Baltimore County Public Library as the
Assistant County Librarian on January 12, 1959. When the Director, Richard D. Minnich,
died suddenly in 1963, the Board of Library Trustees named Charles Robinson the
Director. Thus began a 33-year era of innovative, progressive and inspired leadership that moved
Baltimore County Public Library to the forefront of public library service in the nation.
Charles Robinson was born in Peking,
China, in 1928, where his father was a medical
missionary. He left China in early 1941 for Newton, Massachusetts. He graduated from the Hotchkiss School, then went to Colby College where he
majored in
history, government and economics. After graduation, he entered Simmons College, School of
Library Science, graduating with a Master of Library Science degree in August 1951. Mr. Robinson then served as a
Sergeant with the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea, where
he was in charge of battle casualty reporting and awards and decorations for the 38th
Infantry Regiment.
Charles W. Robinson began his professional career in 1953 at the Free Library of
Philadelphia, where he was the Administrative Assistant to the Director, Emerson Greenway,
before moving to Baltimore County.
Mr. Robinson served as the president of the Public Library Association in 1985 and twice served on the Council of the American Library Association. He received the
Maryland Library Association Award in 1977 for innovative, consistent
efforts toward progress and development in library service in the state of
Maryland.
In 1991 Mr. Robinson received a Public Library Association Presidential Citation in recognition of
extraordinary service and commitment to the advancement of the Public Library Association.
His exceptional contributions include a major role in the development of several
publications considered vital to the good management of public libraries. They are Output
Measures for Public Libraries, Planning and Role Setting for Public Libraries and the
establishment of the annual publication of the Public Library Data Service,
Statistical Report.
Upon the occasion of his retirement, the Public Library Association with funding from
the Baker and Taylor Company, Inc. established the Charles W. Robinson Award to be given
annually to an outstanding practitioner in the library field who has demonstrated
innovative and responsive leadership resulting in the improvement of public library
service.
After retirement from
Baltimore County Public Library in 1996, Mr. Robinson has continued his involvement in the
world of public libraries as the editor of the Library Administrator's Digest.
Sources: 33 Years of Inspired Leadership, Pamphlet. 1996. Baltimore
County Public Library.
The Times 1/1/59
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James H. Fish picked up the reins as Director of the Baltimore County Public
Library in 1996 following the retirement of Charles Robinson.
Born in Leominster,
Massachusetts in 1947, Jim Fish received his Bachelor of Arts degree from
the University of Massachusetts in 1968, followed in 1971 by an Master of
Library Science degree from Indiana University Bloomington School of
Library and Information Services. He is
the recipient of the 2006 Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University
School of Library and Information Science. James Fish
earned his Master of Business Administration from Anna Maria College in
1980.
After a United States Army stint as a Non-Commissioned Officer (1969-1971), Jim Fish's first
library directorships took him to the Levi Heywood Memorial Library in Gardner,
Massachusetts (
1971-1972), the Leominster Public Library in Leominster, Massachusetts (1972-1977) and the
Robbins Library in Arlington, Massachusetts (1977-1980), each with increasingly larger staffs, book
collections, and budgets.
From 1980 to 1982, Jim Fish served as State Librarian for the
Massachusetts State
Library. Returning to the public library sector, Jim Fish then directed the second busiest public
library in New England, the Springfield City Library in Massachusetts, from 1982 to 1990.
Crossing the country to the west coast in 1990, Jim Fish served as the City Librarian of
the San Jose, California Public Library system until 1996 when the east once more beckoned
him and Jim joined the staff of the Baltimore County Public Library as Director.
Serving as President of the Maryland
Library Association (July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010), Jim Fish actively
promotes the improvement of library services in the state. Maryland Governor
Martin O'Malley appointed Jim Fish as member and now chair of the Maryland
Advisory Council on Libraries for the remainder of a five-year term ending
June 30, 2010.
Sources: Who's Who in America 1998; Fact Sheet,
Baltimore County Public Library papers.
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