Esther J. Piercy

Esther J. Piercy (June 15, 1905 – January 10, 1967) was an American librarian whose work in cataloging helped set standards and move libraries towards greater efficiency during the profession's shift to computer automation. Her efforts as the founding editor of Library Resources & Technical Services helped shape library technical services for decades.

Early life and education Esther June Piercy was born in Los Angeles, California, on June 15, 1905. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1930 from the University of Idaho and a Bachelor of Science degree in library science from the University of Illinois in 1932. In 1944 she became assistant librarian and head of the processing department at the Worcester Public Library.

Service to librarianship

Her leadership work in American Library Association committees led to the formation of standards for bookmobile service and for children's librarianship. She was a member of ALA's Council and executive board, as well as serving from 1961 to 1967 on the Dewey Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee. From 1959 to 1960, she directed a survey of the Cataloging-in-Source experiment conducted by the Library of Congress;

Piercy served as the editor of the Journal of Cataloging and Classification from 1950 to 1956. Her book Commonsense cataloging was originally published in 1965 as a guide to cataloging for school and small public libraries; it went through four editions and was also published in Spanish.

A lover of the written word, Piercy was also a frequent reviewer of books for The Baltimore Sun.

Piercy died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Baltimore, Maryland on January 10, 1967. She is buried in Hillsboro, Oregon. Upon her death, a Festschrift issue of Library Resources & Technical Services was planned; so much material was received that the memorial was published in two issues (volume 11, number 3-4).

Legacy

After her death, librarian Robert L. Talmadge described Piercy's career as "marked by service so distinguished as to rank her a statesman [sic] among librarians on the national scene." Each year, the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services awards the Esther J. Piercy Award to a librarian "who has shown outstanding promise for continuing contribution and leadership" in the field of library collections and technical services; the award was established in 1968.