Davis, Carolyn

Carolyn Davis is the generous donor of more than 300 items by and about Louisa May Alcott to the Marylandia and Rare Books Department of the University of Maryland Libraries. Mrs. Davis' lifelong love of books and libraries moved her to donate her collection so others could share her appreciation of the works of Louisa May Alcott. Mrs. Davis was born in Keene, New Hampshire. As a child she was nicknamed "Jo" and aspired to write children's books much as Jo did in Little Women. After graduating from Keene Teachers College, Ms. Davis taught for two years in Alstead, New Hampshire. She married Richard F. Davis and moved to Ithaca, New York where she worked in one of the Cornell University Libraries. Her husband accepted a position in the Dairy Science Department at the University of Maryland in 1954. The Davis family was an active participant in the campus community, attending athletic events, theatrical productions and Agriculture Days. Mrs. Davis also attended classes at the University of Maryland, completing her certification for school librarianship. She subsequently obtained a job at the High Point High School Library in Beltsville, Maryland where she worked for sixteen years.
Mrs. Davis began collecting Louis May Alcott books in the early 1980s after finding a first edition at a town fair in New Hampshire. In the ensuing years she continued to acquire books, visiting bookshops all over the east coast in her quest for the works of Alcott and her family. When Mrs. Davis decided to move to California in 1999, she found a new home for her collection in the University of Maryland's Rare Books Collection where the books are available for others to enjoy the writings of Louisa May Alcott, widely known as author of Little Women.