Marilla Waite Freeman: The Librarian as Literary Muse, Gatekeeper, and Disseminator of Print Culture

Abstract Contrary to the popular image of the librarian as a passive organiser of books and other forms of print, librarians are and have been active selectors, collectors, and disseminators of print and print culture. As such, they serve as gatekeepers for their communities. In addition, librarians have included ‘children’s book reviewer’ among their professional titles, serving as gatekeepers for readers at large and as de facto literary agents, and have inspired and nurtured poets and authors. Marilla Waite Freeman exemplified each of these roles in her nearly seventy years as a librarian. She was known for acquiring and promoting new forms of literature and opposing censorship, using motion pictures to encourage the reading of books, and lecturing and writing on modern library service, producing speeches and essays which were required reading in library schools of the day. She is identified as the model and inspiration for the librarian Helen Raymond in Floyd Dell’s novel Moon-Calf and was a long-time friend of John Masefield, Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom. This paper will explore the ways in which her career exemplifies the librarian as literary muse and as gatekeeper and disseminator of print culture in the community.