Alice Isabel Hazeltine (April 15, 1878 – May 30, 1959) was an American librarian, writer, and editor. She was on the faculty of the School of Library Service at
Columbia University, and edited several collections of stories for children and teenagers, published in multiple editions through the twentieth century.
Early life and education
Hazeltine was born in
Warren, Pennsylvania, the daughter of William Vincent Hazeltine and Isabella McIntosh Hazeltine. Her father was a medical doctor.[1] Having received her early education at
Warren High School,[2] she graduated from
Syracuse University in 1901 and continued her studies at the
New York State Library School from 1901 to 1902.[3] She completed doctoral studies in 1929, with a dissertation titled A children's librarian in Europe (1929).[4]
Career
Hazeltine worked at the
Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh, as first assistant in the children's department. She also worked at libraries in
Buffalo,[5]Providence[6] and
St. Louis.[7][8] She taught summer library courses at
Simmons College, and was assistant professor in the School of Library Service at Columbia University from 1927 to 1943, teaching courses on library work with children.[9] A proponent of fairy tales,[10] folk tales and storytelling events for children,[7][11] she recommended books for home libraries[12] and edited and co-edited several collections of traditional tales for children and teens, around holiday and other themes.[13][14][15]
Publications
"Story-telling in the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh" (1909)[11]
Christmas in Legend and Story: A Book for Boys and Girls (1915, co-editor, with Elva Sophronia Smith)[15]
"Methods of Training Children to Use the Library Intelligently" (1916)[16]
Hazeltine was well travelled, enjoying many associations in Europe and spent many holidays in
Kennebunkport, Maine.[2] She died in 1959, aged 81 years, in New York City.[30] Her papers are the
Butler Library at Columbia University.[31]