In honor of Women’s History Month, the Houston Public Library salutes Julia Ideson for her long-standing dedication to our community. Ideson became the Library’s first Librarian in 1903. She is recognized as the main force behind the development of the Houston Public Library system. During her tenure the Library added six branch libraries and a bookmobile.
Julia Ideson was born July 15, 1880, in Hastings, Nebraska. When she was twelve, her family moved to Houston. In 1899, she attended the University of Texas where she was a member of the first class offered in Library Science. In 1903, she was hired as the librarian for the new Houston Lyceum and Carnegie Library. Dedicated on March 2, 1904, the library resulted from Andrew Carnegie’s $50,000 gift to Houston in 1898. Ideson also served as president of the Texas Library Association from 1910-1911.
In 1929, Ideson was the first woman in Houston to be listed in Who’s Who in America. She was active not only in areas related to the library but also as a suffragette. She worked with groups that brought speakers to the city, providing information on topics that were very controversial at that time, such as birth control.
Ideson was director of the Houston Public Library for 42 years. She died at the age of 65. More than six years after her death, by order of City Council, the Central Library building was renamed in her honor. Today the grand Spanish Revival style building situated across from City Hall houses the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, consisting of the Archives & Manuscripts Department, the Texas & Local History Department, and Special Collections. This depository contains books and historical materials relating to Texas and the Houston area. Currently the Julia Ideson Building is under renovation and is scheduled to reopen at the end of March 2010.