IDA BUCHANAN LOWTHER MOLNAR (1872-1956)

Ida Buchanan Lowther was born in Northern Ireland and came to the United States at the age of three. 

She had no college and probably no library training either.

She started working in the New York Free Circulating Library in 1898 and worked at two branches prior to the NYFCL’s consolidated with NYPL in 1901.

Ida Lowther was appointed Branch Librarian at the 96^th Street Branch in 1905 and transferred to the new Carnegie-funded Melrose Branch in 1913 and served there until her retirement in 1939.

In 1913, Lowther married Arthur Molnar who worked for the YMCA and later became a real estate agent.  Thus, Ida Lowther Molnar became the first Branch Librarian to be married and remain in her position as Branch Librarian. 

Today would be Ida molnar's 139th birthday.