Rebecca B. Rankin


Rebecca Browning Rankin was the director of the New York City's Municipal Reference Library for thirty-two years. New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia called Rankin a "human index to New York City affairs," and she gained a reputation as the City's unofficial historian. Her efforts secured the preservation of historic documents and promoted access to government information for municipal employees and citizens alike.

Early life, education, and early career

Rebecca Browning Rankin was born April 5, 1887, in Piqua, Ohio. She grew up in Illinois.
Rankin attended the University of Michigan, graduating with her bachelor's degree in 1909. She received a full scholarship to attend Simmons University in Boston, where she earned her master in library science degree in 1913.
While her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan, Rankin worked in the cataloging department of the university's general library. Upon graduating with her master's degree in 1913, she received several job offers, deciding to take the opportunity to run the library for the State Normal School in Ellensburg, Washington. In her five years at the Washington State Normal School, she developed a library collection that emphasized the most current information for the training of teachers. Rankin started a bulletin sharing information with teachers across the state, as well as teaching courses on library methods.

Service to librarianship

Rankin served as the president of the Special Libraries Association from 1922 to 1923. In the 1930s, she served as the SLA Secretary, organizing the association's headquarters in New York City. In May 1959, she was inducted into the Special Libraries Association Hall of Fame.
Her relationships with municipal employees played a key role in ensuring that NYC's public librarians were designated as eligible for the New York State Employee's pension and retirement system.

Death and legacy

Rankin died March 1, 1965, at the Dobbs Ferry Hospital in Dobbs Ferry, New York.
A biography of the important role Rankin played as New York City's "unofficial historian" was published by Barry W. Seaver in 2004: A True Politician: Rebecca Browning Rankin, Municipal Reference Librarian of the City of New York, 1920–1952.