Born: 27 April 1859, United States
Died: 18 April 1944
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following is republished with permission from the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History at Case Western Reserve University.
TYLER, ALICE S. (27 Apr. 1859-18 Apr. 1944), librarian, began her career as the first professionally-trained assistant at the CLEVELAND PUBLIC LIBRARY (CPL), hired by WILLIAM HOWARD BRETT. She later served as the second Director of the School of Library Science at WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY (1913-29) and dean from 1925-1929. She was also the third woman president of the American Library Association (ALA, 1920-21). Descended from presidents James Monroe and John Tyler, Tyler was born in Decatur, IL, to John W. and Sarah Roney Tyler. She graduated from the Armour Institute of Technology (predecessor of the Illinois Library School) in Chicago in 1894 and was hired as head of CPL’s Catalog Division the next year. In 1900 she left Ohio to serve as secretary of the Iowa State Library Commission (1900-13), director of the Iowa Summer Library School, State University of Iowa (1901-12), and editor of the Iowa Library Quarterly (1901-13). She visited Cleveland regularly as lecturer at WRU and elsewhere.
Returning to Cleveland in 1913 first as director of WRU’s Library School and then, as dean, Tyler maintained her professional involvement, serving as president of the Association of American Library Schools (1918-19), the Ohio Library Association, and the Cleveland Library Club (1922-23). Tyler actively supported suffrage for WOMEN, belonged to the local LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS and CITIZENS’ LEAGUE, and served as charter member and president of the WOMEN’S CITY CLUB OF CLEVELAND. The library school appointed her Dean Emeritus after her retirement on 13 June 1929. Unmarried, Tyler shared an apartment in the ALCAZAR HOTEL with colleague Bessie Sargeant-Smith.