Ruth Savord
Catherine Ruth Savord was a librarian and the author of several books and articles on library work. She served as president of the Special Libraries Association, the first Chief Librarian of the Frick Art Reference Library, and the head special librarian of Council on Foreign Relations.
Early life
Ruth Savord was born November 2, 1894, to parents Alexander J. and Jennie Savord in Sandusky, Ohio. She graduated from Sandusky High School and attended the school of Library Science at Case [Western Reserve University] in Cleveland from 1913 to 1914. She later enrolled at the University of Illinois from 1916 to 1917, where she held a position in the Catalog Department of the university library.Career
Savord began her career in approximately 1910, when she became an apprentice at the Sandusky Library. After her graduation from Case Western University, she worked in the Catalog Department of the Cleveland Public Library. During World War I, she relocated to New York City and worked for the Western Union Telegraph Company; after the war, she was employed by the Newark Public Library.Council on Foreign Relations
After holding positions with the International Education Board as well as the advertising firm Batten, Barton, Durstine and Osborn, Savord extended her field into international relations and actively contributed to the organization of the library of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. She served as the institution's Librarian from 1932 to about 1962. Her work for the Council led to the compilation of a directory on international affairs, her first major publication.Special Libraries Association
Savord served as the President of the Special Libraries Association from 1934 to 1935, heading the SLA's "Constitution Revision Committee" as Special chairman. She also served on the Ways and Means Committee and as ex-officio of the Publications Committee.In regard to her field, she noted that special librarianship "offers an outlet... for the one whose primary interest is in people, in new and interesting contacts, and in books as tools; for the one with the sleuthing instinct for the obscure or the not-yet-in-print information which is demanded today by our highly competitive world. It is not for the one seeking a quiet atmosphere of repose; nor for the one who is interested primarily in increasing the desire to read and in fostering the cultural side of life."
In a special session on education for special librarians at SLA's annual meeting of 1938 in Kansas City, Savord presented a paper on the best education for a special librarian. On the differences in objectives and purposes between special and general libraries, her presentation highlighted the detrimental side effects for the profession created by schools that do not illustrate the differences in their librarianship education and training.
Publications
Articles
Special Libraries, Vol. 29, No. 7, September 1938, pp. 207–212. Special Libraries, Vol. 33, No. 1, January 1942, pp. 11–14. Special Libraries, Vol. 39, No. 7, September 1948, pp. 218–225. Foreign Affairs, Vol. 35, No. 4, July 1957, pp. 721–726..Books
Directory of American Agencies Concerned with the Study of International Affairs. Introduction by Isaiah Bowman. New York: Council on Foreign Relations, 1931.- . Edited with Pearl Keefer. Special Libraries Association, 1931.
- . New York: Council on Foreign Relations, 1942.
Pamphlets
- Sponsored by the Special Libraries Association. New London: Institute of Women's Professional Relations, 1942.World Affairs, Vol. 112, No. 4, Winter 1949. New York: Council on Foreign Relations.