Mary Teeter Zimmerman:
The Joy of Collecting Children’s Books
Mary Elizabeth Teeter was born in Iowa on June 6, 1905. She and her family
moved to Columbus, OH in 1926, where her mother became a well-known bookseller,
and Mary completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Ohio State University
in 1928. Mary Teeter had an active career in librarianship that led her
through the Toledo Public Library, Bexley Public Library, Crestview Junior
High, American School Zone in Germany, and back to Bexley again where
she was promoted to head librarian in 1955 and kept the position until
her retirement in 1973. She married Kenneth Zimmerman, a graduate of Otterbein
College and United Theological Seminary, in 1954, and they were married
for 37 years until her death on July 29, 1991. They shared an interest
in reading and writing poetry, and co-authored a book of poetry titled,
Across the Years, published locally in 1986.
During her years in Columbus, Mary Teeter Zimmerman was involved in
a children's literature radio program on WOSU, served as honorary trustee
in the Ohioana Library Association, reviewed children's books for the
Columbus Dispatch, and taught library courses at Ohio Dominican College,
now University. She received the Ohio Library Association's award for
Librarian of the Year in 1968. In 1971, she earned an honorary doctorate
from Capital University for her outstanding work in the library field
and her cooperative efforts in providing research materials for Capital
students. People who knew Mary Teeter Zimmerman described her as a woman
of great intelligence, energy, charm, humanity, and faith.
Mary Teeter Zimmerman donated over 600 books to the library of Ohio
Dominican College on December 27, 1973. Most of the books are for children;
many of them first editions inscribed with complimentary statements from
the authors or illustrators to Mary or her mother, Lulu. ODU's Mary Teeter
Zimmerman Collection is housed throughout the library - in the Juvenile
Fiction, Juvenile Non-fiction, Main Stacks, Special Collections, and Oversize
locations. The books included in this display are from the Special Collections
and do not circulate because they are especially valuable. Books in the
Mary Teeter Zimmerman Collection can be identified by recognizing the
presence of her signature bookplate, drawn by local artist Ray Kinsman-Waters.
Also, the library online catalog is being updated so that patrons will
be able to do a keyword search for the phrase, Mary Teeter Zimmerman Collection,
and view the entire virtual list. Please ask a librarian for assistance.
The exhibit will be open through June, 2003.
