Harriette M. Cluxton, who died on May 14, 2001, was well known as a very active Chicago-area hospital librarian who stayed professionally active beyond retirement. Born in Minneapolis on August 14, 1914, Harriette graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1936. Before choosing librarianship, she taught English and Latin. She spent time in Cleveland, Ohio, and worked as medical librarian at Huron Road Hospital. Later, she received her library science degree from Rosary College, now Dominican University. She also worked at the Illinois College of Optometry. In the early 1960s, she became medical librarian at Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where she stayed until 1980.
Harriette was representative of the dynamic hospital librarian. She considered herself a colleague of the medical staff and merited their highest respect. She acted as an informal consultant for administrators who needed information about salaries, budgets, programs, acquisitions, and other library matters, usually to help out local librarians. Harriette mentored numerous medical librarians with sage advice and practicality. In 1972/73, she served as president of the Chicago Chapter of Special Libraries. Previously, she was a cofounder of the Hospital and Nursing Librarians of Illinois (now Health Sciences Librarians of Illinois). She served as sergeant-at-arms at the MLA annual meeting in 1977.
In the 1970s, Harriette carefully cultivated the Midwest Regional Medical Library (Greater Midwest Health Sciences Network). She advocated the hospital library's role as a vital and contributing agency in the health care process. She served notably in “network” committees and task forces. Probably, the accomplishment she was most proud of was founding the Metropolitan Consortium of Chicago in 1975. She served as coordinator for its initial five years and turned over the gavel to her successor once its bylaws, policies, and procedures were in place.
Many recall Harriette as an advocate for sound ideas and a very astute political observer and player. An inactive retirement was out of the question. She continued to serve the Metropolitan Consortium of Chicago as an active Bylaws Committee member and the consortium archivist. She contributed regularly to its newsletter, the Metrometeor, with her very witty column, “Harriette's Historiette.”
The Midwest Chapter was one of her great interests in her later years. She conscientiously served as its archivist and was a member of the Bylaws and Audit Committees. She also wrote a very detailed history of the Midwest Chapter in 1994.
For those of us coming of age in the 1960s and 1970s, Harriette M. Cluxton was synonymous with Chicago hospital and medical librarianship. We, who were associated with Harriette, were enriched by her example and her substance.