Norman D. Stevens
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Library science scholar and humorist Dr. Norman D. Stevens was born in 1932. He worked as an assistant at the Library of Congress from 1949 to 1954, and earned a B.A. in political science from the University of New Hampshire in 1954. Stevens received a master's degree in library science from Rutgers University in 1957, and in 1961 earned Rutgers' first doctorate in library science. After working as the acting director of university libraries at Howard University from 1961 to 1963, Stevens returned to Rutgers as associate librarian for public services, which led to a second stint as an acting library director. In 1968 he joined the administrative staff of the University of Connecticut Libraries, became the Dean of Libraries, and he remained at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, until 1994. Upon his retirement he became Director of University Libraries Emeritus. An avid creator, collector, and analyst of library humor for more than fifty years, Stevens is known in his profession as the "go to" man for all manner of library humor.
In 1956, Stevens and Francis A.T. Johns founded The Molesworth Institute, dedicated to the cause of library humor. Stevens is its first and only director. Members of the Institute include numerous library leaders and scholars. Institute Fellows, appointed by Stevens, include notable library humorists past and present such as Will Manley and Edmund Lester Pearson. The books Library Humor: A Bibliothecal Miscellany to 1970 (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1971) and Archives of Library Research from The Molesworth Institute (N.Y.: Haworth Press, 1985) were published under the auspices of the Institute. Articles by Stevens and other Institute members have been published in leading library science journals including Wilson Library Bulletin, Library Quarterly, Library Journal, and American Libraries.
Stevens has published a large body of writings on library topics for the edification and amusement of his profession. He divides his publications into two groups: those written as a director of libraries and those written as the director of The Molesworth Institute. A library historian as well as humorist, Stevens is a major force toward keeping alive the works of Edmund Lester Pearson, Sam Walter Foss, William Fitch Smyth, and others. He has donated his large collection of library humor items to the Dodd Research Center at the University of Connecticut. His Edmund Lester Pearson Library Humor Award has rewarded and encouraged a new generation of library humorists.
