Wesley C. Simonton, A.B. University of Cincinnati (1941); B.S.L.S. (1946) and M.S.L.S. (1948) Columbia University; Ph.D. University of Illinois (1960). Senior Cataloger, Columbia University (1947-1948). Chief Catalog Librarian (1949-1956), Assistant Professor (1956-1960), Associate Professor (1960-1965), Professor (1965-2003), Acting Director, Library School (1962-1963), and Director, Library School (1974-1982), University of Minnesota.
Wesley Simonton was born June 22, 1921 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He received an A.B. in English from the University of Cincinnati (1941), a Bachelor of Science (1946) and a Master of Science (1948) in Library Science from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Library Science from the University of Illinois (1960).
After serving as Senior Cataloger at Columbia University from 1947 to 1948, Dr. Simonton accepted the position of Chief Catalog Librarian at the University of Minnesota Libraries in 1949. He continued in that role until 1956 when we became an Assistant Professor in the University of Minnesota Library School. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1960, and to full Professor in 1965. Dr. Simonton assumed the position of Director of the Library School July 1, 1974, a post he held until 1982.
Dr. Simonton directed a Council on Library Resources grant-funded study of bibliographical control of microform publications for the Association of Research Libraries in 1960. For the American Library Association, he served as chairman of the Cataloging and Classification Section (1963-1964), president of the Resources and Technical Services Division (1965-1967), chair of the Advisory Committee to the Office of Library Education (1970-1973), and editor of “Library Resources and Technical Services” (1973-1979). Dr. Simonton served as secretary-treasurer for the Association of American Library Schools from 1960 to 1964.
From the guide to the Wesley Simonton papers, 1954-1984, (University of Minnesota Libraries. University of Minnesota Archives [uarc])
