Marian Frost
Marian Frost (27 September 1876 – 27 December 1935) was an English librarian. She was instrumental in the expansion of the Worthing Library[1] and was the first female chief librarian in the UK, with an all-female staff.[2][3]
Family
[edit]Frost was born in the UK to textile chemist and mayor of Macclesfield, William Frost (died 1934).[4] She never married.[5]
Expansion of the Worthing Library
[edit]The Worthing Library, at the time of Frost's first hiring in 1901, was a small library with a rapidly growing readership that was outgrowing its "overcrowded and dilapidated building".[6][7] Frost wrote to American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1902 to request funding to rebuild the library and improve its offerings for its patrons. After being denied for years, Frost succeeded in convincing Carnegie to donate £6,200 to fund the construction of the new building, provided the town council provide the building site free of charge. Work on this building began in 1907, and it was open by December of the next year.[8][9]
Frost became chief librarian of the Worthing Library in 1919, and was likely the first female head librarian in the UK.[8] She is also noted as being the first female librarian to run an all-female staff.[2] Frost expanded the library services to also include a children's library and a special collection preserving novels with a particular connection to Sussex county.[6] After Frost died, the following chief librarian Ethel Gerard continued the legacy of extending the library service.[10]
Later career
[edit]Frost continued to work as chief librarian and curator of the Public Library, Art Gallery, and Museum at Worthing for the rest of her life.[2] Over her career, Frost became president of the London and Home Counties Library Association and vice-president of the Museum Association.[8] She published a book on local history, The Early History of Worthing: Being an Account of the Chief Events from Pre-Historic Times to a Century Ago. [11] Frost was also the Honorary Secretary of the Sussex Archeological Society and a founding member of the Worthing Archeological Society, founded in 1922.[12] In her role as museum curator, head librarian, and amateur archeologist, Frost participated in numerous archeological digs, including the Blackpatch Flint Mine Excavation in 1922.[13] In 1927, Frost gave a lecture calling for photographic archiving of the town of Worthing as it stood then, before more changes to the town caused older buildings and other structures to be forgotten. Two collections of photographs were created and displayed at the Worthing Library.[12]
In 1935, Frost received one of the first diplomas offered by the Museums Association.[2] She was also elected president of the Worthing Archeological Society in this year.[12] Frost died in 1935 at age 59 due to a heart condition.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Trailblazing Worthing librarian honoured with blue plaque". West Sussex County Council. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
- 1 2 3 4 S., T. (1936-01-18). "Miss Marian Frost". Nature. 137 (3455): 99–100. Bibcode:1936Natur.137...99S. doi:10.1038/137099b0. ISSN 0028-0836.
- ↑ "New Worthing Blue Plaque found to have incorrect dates after unveiling". SussexWorld. 2025-06-11. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
- ↑ "The late Alderman William Frost, J.P." Journal of the Textile Institute Proceedings. 25 (7): P338–P339. July 1934. doi:10.1080/19447013408663665. ISSN 1944-7019.
- ↑ Rutter, Frank (January 4, 1936). "Mr. Frank Rutter Writes". The Times. p. 14. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- 1 2 "Marian Frost, Rebel Victorian Librarian". Brighton & Hove Museums. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
- ↑ The Library Association Year Book. The Library Association. 1899. p. 39. OCLC 643871472.
- 1 2 3 4 "Pioneering Worthing librarian who achieved national acclaim honoured with Blue Plaque". SussexWorld. 2025-06-06. Archived from the original on 7 June 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
- ↑ The Library World. Vol. 49–50. André Deutsch. 1947. p. 110. OCLC 6527518.
- ↑ Municipal Journal, Public Works Engineer Contractor's Guide. Vol. 68. 1960.
- ↑ Frost, Marian (1929). The Early History of Worthing. Being an Account of the Chief Events from Pre-Historic Times to a Century Ago (1st ed.). Combridges., Hove, Sussex.
- 1 2 3 Palmer, Daphne (1982). "Worthing Archaeological Society The First 60 Years" (PDF). Worthing Archeological Society.
- ↑ Goodman, C. H.; Frost, Marian; Curwen, Eliot (2021). "Blackpatch Flint-Mine Excavation, 1922. (Report Prepared on Behalf of the Worthing Archaeological Society)". Sussex Archaeological Collections. 65. doi:10.5284/1085875.
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