DOROTHY LAWSON HAWKINS
1891 - 1938
The Faculty of Vassar College records its sorrow
and sense of loss through the death on August 17,
1938 of Dorothy Lawson Hawkins, Assistant Librarian
since 1928. Miss Hawkins brought with her to Vas-
sar sound training in library science, experience
in the administration of the library of the Univer-
sity of Delaware, strong interest in methods of
scholarly research, a keen mind, remarkable energy,
and a gay and friendly spirit. All these she gave
with zeal to the service of this college, Quickly
Vassar received a place in her affection and loyalty
side by side with her Alma Mater, Smith College.
In carrying on the order work of the Vassar Library
through a decade when its collection was increased
by nearly 62,000 volumes, Miss Hawkins strove un-
ceasingly to develop a system for handling the enor-
mous amount of detail involved with speed, economy
and precision. In reference work she exercised the
greatest ingenuity and perseverance and students who
consulted her received not only expert guidance but
also something of her enthusiasm for bibliographical
research,
To the many student assistants who worked under her
direction she gave excellent trainig and her ability
as a teacher brought to her last spring an invitation
to join the faculty of the summer session of Columbia
University School of Library Service which ill health
prevented her from accepting.
Research on early printing in Delaware, first under-
taken during graduate work at €olumbia University, was
continued through the years here, and a part of the
material collected was used in her'monograph "James
Adams: the First Printer of Delaware", which appeared
in the Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Amer-
ica in 1934.
Interest in all phases of library service led to
active work in state and national library associations.
DOROTHY LAWSON'HAWKINS (Continued)
Miss Hawkins was a devoted friend and leaves many
memories of timely help generously given in the col-
lege and in the comunity.
Florence MeCa1eb
Helen Elizabeth Davis
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