Table of Contents
Edgar Stewart Robinson
b. Nov. 23, 1896, Pickford, Michigan, USA; d. Oct. 24, 1957, Victoria, BC
Education:
1920 BA University of Toronto
1924 BSLS University of Washington
Positions:
1912-15 Page, Calgary Public Library
1921-23 Head of Circulation, Calgary Public Library
1924-57 Director, Vancouver Public Library
Publications:
Robinson, Edgar S. (1934). “Suggested Policy for the Collection and Care of Canadian Provincial Documents.” In Public Documents: Their Selection, Distribution, Cataloging, Reproduction and Preservation/Papers Presented at the 1933 Conference of the ALA, ed. by A. F. Kuhlman, pp. 203-205. Chicago: American Library Association.
Robinson, Edgar S. (1934). “Canadian Library Council [Editorial].” Library Journal 59 (15): 656-657.
Robinson, Edgar S. (1935). “On the Pacific Front.” Ontario Library Review 19 (1): 8-10.
Robinson, Edgar S. (1936). “The Work of Public Documents Committee of Canada.” In Public Documents: Papers Presented at the … Conference of the American Library Association [1935], edited by A. F. Kuhlman, 162-166. Chicago: American Library association.
Robinson, Edgar S. (1947). “Libraries for Today.” Journal of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada 24 (2): 59-60.
Robinson, Edgar S. (1947). “Debtors to our Profession.” Canadian Library Association Bulletin 4 (October): 5-6.
Robinson, Edgar S. (1950). “‘Branching Out’ in Vancouver.” Canadian Library Association Bulletin 6 (5): 201-204.
Robinson, Edgar S. (1950). “New Times New Libraries.” Canadian Library Association Bulletin 6 (5): 189-190.
Robinson, Edgar S. (1952). “Plans and Progress.” Canadian Library Association Bulletin 9 (3): 82.
Robinson, Edgar S. (1954). “The Technique of Photocharging.” Canadian Library Association Bulletin 10 (5): 165-168.
Robinson, Edgar S. (1956). “Vancouver Public Library Building and How It Grew.” PNLA Quarterly 21 (Oct.): 17–21.
Robinson, Edgar S. (1957). Training Professional Librarians for Western Canada; Report of the Special Committee on Library Education of the Public Library Commission. Edgar S. Robinson, Chairman; Samuel Rothstein, Secretary. Ed. by British Columbia Public Library Commission Special Committee on Library Education. Victoria, B.C.: British Columbia Library Association.
Associations:
President, British Columbia Library Association, 1926-27 and 1938-39
President, Pacific Northwest Library Association, 1928-29
Chairman, British Columbia Public Library Commission, 1945-36 and 1956-57
President, Canadian Library Association, 1952-53
Accomplishments:
Edgar Robinson was a champion for the concept of the “library in the community” in Vancouver. He was also a prominent regional voice for librarians in western Canada, especially British Columbia. Although his lifelong efforts to open a new central city library only came to fruition shortly after his death, the “Modernist style” four-storey central library on Burrard Street served Vancouver from 1957-1995 and was designated as a heritage site in 1994. Robinson also presided over the development of several neighbourhood branches, notably Collingwood (1951), Dunbar (1950), Kerrisdale (1943), Kitsilano (1927), and South Hill (1949).
Sources:
Curry, Ann and Gary Carre. (1998). “Edgar S. Robinson: Canada’s Longest Serving Public Library Director.” Epilogue : Canadian Bulletin for the History of Books, Libraries, and Archives 13: 117-136.
“In Memoriam Edgar Stewart Robinson, November 22, 1896–October 24, 1957.” (1957). Viewpoint, the Vancouver Public Library Staff Association Newsletter 11 (2): 1-11.
ELA biography compiled by Lorne Bruce