Leaonead Pack Drain-Bailey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leaonead Pack Drain-Bailey
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| Born | January 28, 1906 Summers County, West Virginia
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| Died | March 29, 1983 (aged 77) Detroit, Michigan
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| Other names | Leaonead P. Drain |
| Occupation | librarian |
Leaonead Justine Pack Drain-Bailey (born January 28, 1906 – died March 29, 1983) was an important American librarian and teacher. She was the Head of Library at West Virginia State University from 1949 to 1956. She helped plan the Drain-Jordan Library, which opened in 1951. This library is named in her honor and for Lawrence Victor Jordan.
Contents
A Life in Libraries
Leaonead Drain-Bailey started her journey in libraries after graduating from West Virginia Collegiate Institute in 1927. She began working there as an associate librarian and also taught Library Science. By 1949, she became the head librarian.
To further her education, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Library Science from the University of Illinois in 1929. She also attended the School of Library Service at Columbia University in the summer of 1950.
While at West Virginia State University, she created many lists of books (called bibliographies). She also published research, including a study about library fines at 37 colleges that served Black students.
Moving to New Libraries
In 1956, Leaonead left West Virginia State University. She moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where she became the head of the reference department at Saint Louis University Library.
Later, she moved again to Detroit. There, she worked in the reference department of the University of Detroit library. She retired from her library career in 1971.
Helping Black Authors Be Seen
After retiring, Leaonead Drain-Bailey published a very important book. It was called Broadside authors and artists; an illustrated biographical directory. She put this book together herself.
This project came from her friendship with Dudley Randall, a colleague at the University of Detroit. Randall owned a publishing company called Broadside Press. He often published books by Black authors and poets. People frequently asked him for information about these writers, but it was hard to find. This was because traditional reference books often didn't include Black authors.
So, Leaonead decided to help. She created a survey and sent it to all the authors published by Broadside Press. She then gathered their answers and published them in a 136-page book. This book was very important because 94% of the American authors listed in it were not in Who's Who in America in 1972-1973. Also, 90% of the 184 authors were not listed in Contemporary Authors. Library Journal, a magazine for librarians, said her book was a "reference work that should be found in most libraries."
Her Personal Life
Leaonead Pack was born on January 28, 1906, in Institute, West Virginia. Her parents were Charles Robert Pack and Eva B Brown Pack. Her family was one of the first to settle in the town.
She married Robert Drain in New York City on August 17, 1931. They had one son, John Robert Drain. They later divorced in 1937. In 1953, she married Herman Perry Bailey.
Leaonead Drain-Bailey passed away in 1983. She is buried in the Brown Family Cemetery in Institute, West Virginia.
Works
- Broadside authors and artists: an illustrated biographical directory. Detroit, Mich.: Broadside Press, 1974.
