Mary Sollace Saxe

Mary Sollace Saxe (February 23, 1868 – May 27, 1942) was a Canadian librarian and author. She is best known for her work with the children's room at the Westmount Public Library and her published book, Our Little Quebec Cousin.

Biography Mary Sollace Saxe was born in St. Albans, Vermont, on February 23, 1868. Called “Mollie” by her family, she was born to James Saxe and Sarah Storrs-Solace Saxe. She was the sixth of their seven children. While she was still a child, her family moved to Montreal, Canada. This relocation to a French-speaking area would have an impact on her later literary works. In 1904, she became an author as well when she published her first article, “Westmount Public Libraries”. It was a children's novel about a little French girl living in Quebec. In 1926, Saxe connected the library with a conservatory known as the Palm Room. She spoke at numerous conferences for librarians and wrote multiple books and articles. She retired in 1931. After retirement, she wrote a few one-act plays. Her plays, “All is Discovered,” “Just a Tip,” and “Rainbows”, were performed theatrically.

Impact on library policy Saxe's tenure at the Westmount Public Library resulted in policy changes that would become standard procedure for libraries across Canada and the United States. Most notably, she implemented the open shelf system, which allowed patrons to browse the library collection and access books without having to request them. She also advocated for thorough training and education for library staff. Additionally, she oversaw the opening of the library's Children's Room in 1911, and the Reference Room in 1914, expanding library services to meet the needs of a diverse patronage. She strongly believed that Canadians should support Canadian authors and be proud of them, so she encouraged patrons to read Canadian books to their children.

Published works

Saxe, Mary S. (1904). "Westmount Public Library". Public Libraries; A Monthly Review of Library Matters and Methods 9, no. 5: 209. Saxe, Mary S. (1910). "Popularizing the Library". Library Journal 35, no. 8: 363-66. Saxe, Mary S. (1911). "Classification Of Books". Proceedings of the Ontario Library Association Annual Meeting: 59-64. Saxe, Mary S. (1912). "With The Children in Canada". Library Journal 37, no. 8: 433-35. Saxe, Mary S. (1915). "The Canadian Library's Opportunities to Encourage the Reading of Canadian Authors". Proceedings of the Ontario Library Association Annual Meeting: 48-52. Saxe, Mary S. (1916). "One Hundred Years Ago - Relatively Speaking". American Library Association Bulletin 10, no. 4: 299-301. Saxe, Mary S. (1917). "What seems to me an important aspect of the work of public libraries at the present time". Proceedings of the Ontario Library Association Annual Meeting: 35-37. Saxe, Mary S. (1919). "Books and their classification". Canadian Bookman 1, no 3 (July): 56-58. Saxe, Mary S. (1919). Our Little Quebec Cousin. Boston: L.C. Page. Saxe, Mary S. (1920). "The Library from the inside, out!" Canadian Bookman 2, no. 2 (April): 16-17. Saxe, Mary S. (1920). "What is the most important aspect of public library work?" Canadian Bookman 2, no. 4 (Dec.): 90-91. Saxe, Mary S. Saxe (1927). "Libraries of east Canadian provinces". Library Journal 52, no. 10: 525-26.

Associations and positions

American Library Association (ALA)-member Canadian Authors Association-member Montreal Art Association-member Business and Professional Women's Club-member Canadian Women's Club-member Quebec Library Association-member Dickens Fellowship-vice president Women's Art Society of Montreal-vice president