10 Facts About Linda Eastman

Linda Eastman was selected by the American Library Association as one of the 100 most important librarians of the 20th century.

Linda Eastman was a founding member and later president of the Ohio Library Association, and a professor of Library Science at Case Western Reserve University.

Linda Eastman was born in Oberlin, Ohio and moved to Cleveland at age 7.

Linda Eastman started working at the Cleveland Public Library in 1892 as an apprentice, and in 1894 took charge of the West Side Branch Library, where she established The Open Shelf, a newsletter for library patrons highlighting new releases.

Linda Eastman left for a better position in the Dayton Library System in 1895 but returned quickly when Brett offered her the position of vice-Librarian.

In that position, Linda Eastman helped implement Brett's revolutionary and highly successful open shelf system, whereby patrons could choose their own titles from library shelves rather than having to ask library staff to retrieve books from restricted stacks.

Linda Eastman helped devise special centers that would serve patrons' needs for specific sorts of information.

When Linda Eastman retired, the special service was distributing books to thirty thousand blind patrons across northern Ohio.

Linda Eastman retired from the library in 1938 at age 71, citing a desire to spend more time outdoors.

Linda Eastman is buried at Riverside Cemetery in Cleveland, OH.