Louis Round Wilson

Louis Round Wilson (December 27, 1876 – December 10, 1979) was an important figure to the field of library science, and is listed in "100 of the most important leaders we had in the 20th century," an article in the December 1999 issue of American Libraries. The article lists what he did for the field of library science including dean at the University of Chicago Graduate Library School, directing the library at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and as one of the "internationally oriented library leaders in the U.S. who contributed much of the early history of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions." The Louis Round Wilson Library is named after him.

Background Louis Round Wilson was born on December 27, 1876, in Lenoir, North Carolina. Wilson was the youngest child of Jethro Reuben and Louisa Jane (Round) Wilson, who were both descendants from early English settlers. Growing up, Wilson frequented the local library in Lenoir, the Pioneer Library. His passion for the freedom to read led him to his important promotion of free public library services may have begun in his youth at the Pioneer Library. He entered Davenport College, a preparatory school in 1894, studying Greek and ancient history among the other essential subjects. In 1895, Wilson entered Haverford College, but "left on account of ill-health" at the end of his Junior year, 1898. His Senior year, he decided to attend the University of North Carolina, the location of a milder climate which would be more beneficial to his health. and also was president of the American Library Association in 1925. In 1951 he was awarded American Library Association Honorary Membership. In 1976 he was awarded the Melvil Dewey Medal.

During his career as the University librarian at UNC, Wilson increased the library's collection from 32,000 volumes in 1901 to 235,000 in 1932. In 1922 he founded the University of North Carolina Press, one of the most respected university publishing houses in the U.S., founded and edited Carolina's Alumni Review magazine, helped construct UNC's first student union, and organized a special department of the library with North Carolina Collection materials. The research and progress in the library science field under Wilson's leadership in Chicago has never been equaled. Wilson also later became a surveyor of libraries, helping several large libraries with impressive collections organize and catalog their materials to be more accessible. Students at the Graduate Library School, University of Chicago, 1928-1989. under Wilson went on to become head librarians at some of the most prestigious libraries in the United States. Wilson died in 1979 at the age of 102.

List of works Wilson, L. R. (1935). County library service in the South; a study of the Rosenwald county library demonstration. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Wilson, L. R. (1966). Education and libraries; selected papers. In M. F. Tauber & J. Orne (Eds.). Hamden, Connecticut: Shoe String Press.

Wilson, L. R. (1938). The geography of reading; a study of the distribution and status of libraries in the United States. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Wilson, L. R. (1951). The library in college instruction; a syllabus on the improvement of college instruction through library use. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.

Wilson, L. R. (1951). The library of the first State university. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Wilson, L. R. (1937). Library Trends. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Wilson, L. R. (1976). Louis Round Wilson's Historical sketches. Durham, NC: Moore Publishing Co.

Wilson, L. R. (1940). The Practice of Book Selection. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Wilson, L. R. (1957). The University of North Carolina, 1900-1930: The Making of a Modern University. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Wilson, L. R., & Tauber, M. F. (1945). The university library; its organization, administration and functions, by Louis Round Wilson and Maurice F. Tauber. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.