Helen E. Pierson
attended the NJ State Normal School, 1920-1921, and took the summer course
offered by the NJ Public Library Commission.
She then worked at the Morristown (NJ) Public Library in her hometown,
1922-1925.
After short
stints at the Florence (SC) Public Library and the Olivia Paney Public Library
in Raleigh NC, she earned a certificate from the NYPL Library School in 1926.
She started
at NYPL in 1926 while still a student in Library School and then had unusually quick
promotions. By 1929 she was Acting Branch
Librarian, was promoted to Branch Librarian in 1930, and headed the Port
Richmond and Hamilton Fish Park branches, 1930-1942.
Wessells
was one of the NYPL librarians who worked to collect books for American
military personnel during World War II.
In 1942 she took a leave of absence to be the Assistant Director of the
Victory Book Campaign sponsored by ALA, the American Red Cross and the United
Service Organization. She never returned
to NYPL.
Between 1943-1950,
Wessells worked on library issues for the US Information Service in the State
Department, except for a short period as Acting Director of ALA’s International
Relations Office in 1948.
She then
served as editor of Library Journal, 1951-1957. In 1957 Wessells was forced to resign due to
poor health. Frederic Melcher (President
of R.R. Bowker) hailed her for the 600 editorials she wrote during a time of
post-war expansion for American librarianship.
Helen Pierson
was married twice. First, in 1927 to
Parker Franklin Wessells, a social worker, and they divorced in 1936. Second, in 1952 to Herman Strecker Hettinger
(ca. 1902-1972), an economist. Professionally,
she continued to use the name Wessells after her divorce from her first
husband.
Helen
Wessells’ personal papers are held by Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
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