Blumberg
was born in Russia and came to the US in the mid-1880s.
She
began working at the East Broadway Branch of the Aguilar Free Library Society (AFLS)
in 1894. She remained there when the
AFLS consolidated with NYPL in March 1903.
Around the same time, Blumberg resigned to become the Librarian at the
University Settlement House on the Lower East Side. In January 1904 that library was also
absorbed by NYPL, and Blumberg remained in charge until it was replaced by the
new Rivington Street Branch in June 1905.
She also served as head of the Jackson Square and Tremont branches until
1917 when she was put on sick leave.
In
1914, the Library’s doctor suspected that Theresa Blumberg had
tuberculosis. In 1915, the Library
excused her for an excess of 459 hours sick leave, and two years later her
illness forced her to enter a sanitarium.
Blumberg’s brother was able to give her $800, and the Library put her on
half pay ($60/month) with the money coming from by the Draper Fund, which the
Director could draw upon to aid employees in need of assistance.
Blumberg
was well enough to return to NYPL in 1919.
A year later she was made Acting Branch Librarian of the Bloomingdale
Branch and then headed the Fort Washington Branch, 1921-1923.
In
1923 Blumberg again became ill with TB.
Her brother also had TB and no longer had financial resources to assist
her. She was placed in a sanitarium at
Saranac Lake at a cost was $125/month.
This was initially paid by contributions from Trustees and others
formerly associated with the AFLS. In
1924 the Draper Fund was again tapped to pay her expenses.
Theresa
Blumberg never returned to work and died in June 1927.
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