Librarians' Corner
Marion Sparks’ Chemical Literature and Its Use: First chemical information text
By Tina Chrzastowski, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Bartow Culp, Purdue University
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Interview with Paul S. Weiss, Editor of ACS Nano
Marion Sparks’ Chemical Literature and Its Use: First chemical information text
By Tina Chrzastowski, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Bartow Culp, Purdue University
On March 25, 2007, the authors will present at the session “Landmark Chemistry Books of the Twentieth Century: Authors from the University of Illinois” during the ACS 233rd National Meeting and Exposition in Chicago. The following text is excerpted from their presentation and a new website detailing the life and work of Marion E. Sparks.
Marion Emeline Sparks (1872–1929) was the University of Illinois' first chemistry librarian. She also was a pioneer in chemical literature.
Sparks won a scholarship to the University of Illinois and subsequently earned three degrees from the university: a B.A. in classics (1895); a B.L.Sc. (1899); and an M.A. in classics (1900). Her early coursework played a role in the services she provided to her chemistry library patrons. While earning her B.A., she studied French, German, Greek, Italian, Latin, and Spanish; she later applied this training by translating foreign language chemistry articles.
In 1911, Sparks began working in the Chemistry Library as a bibliographer; in 1913, she became head librarian, a position she held until her death in 1929. Sparks was a holistic librarian, involved in every aspect of library service. In addition to translating foreign language publications, she created bibliographic access to materials, offered interlibrary loan services (such as typewriting articles, in the era before photocopiers), taught classes on chemical literature, published papers and books on chemical information, corresponded with former students, and became an integral part of the chemistry department (e.g., recording the departmental history as well as personal histories of faculty).
Sparks' lifelong interest, however, was teaching chemical literature. In 1912, she gave three lectures to the Chemistry Club on library research; she presented six lectures in 1913. During the 1914–1915 school year, Sparks began teaching Chemistry 92: Chemical Literature and Reference Work, a required course for junior chemistry majors. Using notes compiled from 5 years of teaching, Sparks self-published Chemical Literature and Its Use (1919)—arguably the first book to address chemical literature and library instruction, which formalized the field of chemical information. She published a second edition of the text in 1921.
The text received favorable reviews, as evidenced by this excerpt from the Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry: “The chemistry students of Illinois University are, indeed, fortunate in having the opportunity of attending this course of lectures... Students of chemistry everywhere will find the pamphlet very useful for the purpose of reference, since the publications mentioned are in general use where they are available” (Review of Chemical Literature and Its Use. J. Soc. Chem. Ind., 1921, 40 (23), 451).
Sparks' book is organized like her one-semester course, as 16 “lectures” and a bibliography. At only 80 pages long, the book is amazing in its breadth of coverage of the literature available at that time; it describes sources in applied fields such as metallurgy, leather chemistry, and sewage treatment as well as the “pure” chemical disciplines. M. G. Mellon, when beginning his 72-year career at Purdue University, acknowledged Sparks in the first edition of his own book on chemical literature. In his unpublished autobiography, he also states “the only textbook available was the fine booklet... by Marion Sparks of the University of Illinois.” He also acknowledges her in the first edition of his Chemical Publications, Their Nature and Use, which was first published in 1925 and would become the standard textbook in the field, undergoing five editions over 60 years.
After Sparks' death, a plaque was created in her honor. It reads, “She was their guide when they sought information but they remember her best because she remembered them and was their cheerful mentor, counselor and friend.” Made in 1930, The plaque remains prominently displayed in the University of Illinois Chemistry Library.
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