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Agency History/Biographical note:
Anne Carey Edmonds was born in Penang, Malaysia, in 1924, the daughter of an English father and an American mother. She attended the University of Reading for two years and was then drafted by the government to work in the civil service. In 1946 she came to the United States and in 1948 she graduated from Barnard College. She received a master's degree from Columbia University in Library Science, and an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University in geography. In 1964 she became the librarian at Mount Holyoke College, oversaw its renovation and expansion in 1968, and directed it until her retirement in 1994. She published "A memory book: Mount Holyoke College 1837-1987" for the sesquicentennial celebration in 1987. Biographical material about her World War II and BBC experience is included.

Scope and Content:
The Anne Carey Edmonds Papers include correspondence, writings, biographical material, and photographs. Correspondence relates to Edmonds's personal and professional experiences as Visiting Librarian at the University of the North in Turfloop, South Africa, under the auspices of the United States-South Africa Leader Exchange Program. Correspondence to Edmond's family, colleagues at Mount Holyoke College and friends includes accounts of travels in the region, especially two visits to Vendaland, and frequent discussions of apartheid. Correspondants include: Janet Crosby, Nancy Devine, George Goold, Pat McLorie, and David Truman. Her writings include books, articles, and speeches. These documents concern her travels in South Africa, her experiences in England during World War II, the history of Mount Holyoke College and its library, and other topics. The collection also includes biographical information contained in publications and newspaper articles about Edmonds. Also available  are information and memorabilia from South Africa including itineraries, invitations, maps, magazines. A report entitled "American Policy and the Search for Justice and Reconciliation in South Africa" by Gwendolyn M. Carter, and an article entitled "Issues and Answers Pertaining to Homelands Policy and the Principle of Nationality" by Elizabeth Michelman are included. Several programs and invitations (retirements of Clara R. Ludwig and Florence Kimball) designed by Edmonds are included. There are numerous photographs of Edmonds, as well as presentation slides used in her lectures and of her South African tour.

Cite as: Anne Carey Edmonds Correspondence, Mount Holyoke College, Archives and Special Collections, South Hadley, Massachusetts

Access Restrictions: Unresitricted

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