Mary A. Kingsbury

Mary Aurelia Kingsbury (July 3, 1865 – August 16, 1958) was an American school library pioneer. In 1900, she became the first professionally trained school Librarian in American history when she was appointed as a librarian of the Erasmus Hall High School of Brooklyn, New York City.

Biography Born as Mary Aurelia Kingsbury on July 3, 1865, in Glastonbury, Connecticut, United States, Mary A. Kingsbury was the daughter of Daniel Kingsbury, a doctor, and his second wife, Lucy M.Cone. She completed her school education at the Glastonbury Free Academy (GFA). She continued her higher studies at the Smith College in Massachusetts.

To improve her language skills, she traveled to Germany for a year to study language. She took ten private lessons in German under Frau Dr.Hempel, who had also taught Mark Twain. After her graduation, she cataloged the Greek and Latin texts at the libraries of the University of Pennsylvania and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

She retired in 1931 after her vision became impaired, completing a forty years of service as a librarian at the Erasmus Hall Academy. She returned to Glastonbury, Connecticut, and stayed with her sister. She was associated with a number of professional associations including the Connecticut School Library Association and American Association of School Librarians.

She died on August 16, 1958, at the age of 93.