Eames, Wilberforce, 1855-1937

Author and librarian at the New York Public Library in New York City.

Wilberforce Eames (1855-1937), son of Nelson and Harriet Phoebe (Crane) Eames, was born in Newark, N.J. In 1885, George Henry Moore (1823-1892), superintendent of the Lenox Library in New York City, appointed Eames as his personal assistant. He became a regular member of the library staff in 1888, assistant librarian upon Moore's death in 1892, and librarian in 1893. After the New York Public Library was formed in 1895, he was in charge of the Lenox building with the designation of "Lenox Librarian." In 1911, he became chief of the American history division of the New York Public Library and from 1916 until his death he served as bibliographer and specialized in the field of Americana.

Wilberforce Eames (1855-1937) was a bibliographer, bibliophile and librarian who began his career in the book trade. In 1885 he went to work at the Lenox Library in New York City and was named Lenox Librarian in 1893. He held this position until 1911 when the New York Public Library building opened and he was appointed Chief of the American History Division. In 1916 he became Bibliographer of the Library, a position he held until his death. His interests embraced many subjects including American history, Oriental history, African and Native American languages, cartography, cuneiform tablets, and the history of printing. His scholarship in these areas resulted in significant acquisitions for the Library and for his private collection which he bequeathed to the Library. Among Eames's most important contributions was the compilation of bibliographies and bibliographic studies, especially his work on Sabin's Dictionary of Books Relating to America.

Noted librarian and bibliographer; resident New York City.

Librarian and bibliographer.

Affiliated with the Lenox Library (later New York Public Library), 1885-1937, Wilberforce Eames' interest in books about the American Indian was sparked by his acquaintance with James Constantine Pilling, with whom he worked on Proof-sheets of a bibliography of the languages of the North American Indians (1885).