The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Putnam, Herbert

PUTNAM, Herbert, American librarian: b. New York, 20 Sept. 1861. He was graduated at Harvard (1883); studied law at Columbia (1883-84), and was admitted to the bar (1886). He received also the degrees of Litt.D. from Bowdoin (1898), LL.D. from Columbian (now George Washington University, 1903), University of Illinois (1903), University of Wisconsin (1904), Yale (1907), Williams (1911), LittD. from Brown (1914). From 1884-87 he was librarian at the Minneapolis Athenæum, and at the Minneapolis Public Library (1887-91). After this he practised law at Boston (1892-95), and became librarian at the Boston Public Library (1895-99). Since March 1899 he has been librarian of Congress. He was twice president of American Library Association (1898, 1904). Numerous articles have been published by him in reviews and professional journals.