If there is ever a time for sheer practicality, it is in the measured planning of books and equipment to meet users’ needs.[1]— Florence McMaster
By: Samantha Riley, Bicentennial Intern, Class of 2020, French and Anthropology, IUPUI
Edited by: Bre Anne Briskey, Bicentennial Graduate Assistant
An individual’s impact can be felt on an institution in many ways. Florence R. McMaster, lovingly known as “Mrs. Mac” by many, transformed the IUPUI law library from a small collection of 10,500 volumes to more than 125,000 volumes during her tenure as law librarian.[2]
Life in the Midwest: Early Life and Education
Florence McMaster was born on July 6, 1916 to Max and Rose Riman in Chicago, IL.[3] After graduating from high school, McMaster went on to attend the University of Toledo. She earned her bachelor degree in philosophy in 1937.
Wanting to continue her education, McMaster moved back to her home state to attend the University of Illinois, where she graduated in 1944 with her bachelor degree in library science.[4] During her time at the University of Illinois, she worked in the Exchange Division of the Illinois Library as an assistant before transferring to the Law Library, where she remained after graduation.[5]
McMaster resigned the following year to join the faculty at the Indiana University Evening Division Library in the School of Law in Indianapolis as a librarian.[6]
Career at IUPUI
At the law school, McMaster created a one of a kind workshop for new law students, teaching them how to use the legal resources offered by the library. Her work in the law library lead to her pursuit of a law degree, which she completed in 1961.[7] Later that year, McMaster earned admission into the Indiana and Federal bar in 1961, with later admission to the U.S. Supreme Court bar in 1969. [8]
After earning her degree, McMaster became an assistant professor of law at the university and was promoted to a full professor in 1972.[9] During her career, she contributed articles and chapters for books on legal research. She was awarded the American Jurisprudence Prize in Comparative Law in 1961 and in 1973 received a plaque for outstanding service from the Indiana Law Review.[10]
While McMaster became a professor of law at the university, she continued fostering the growth of the law library. Due to her work, the law library expanded; it included invaluable volumes that focused on American Law such as the complete Reporter System and the complete files of annotated sets.
Additionally, she aided in the preparation of law students for bar examinations by ensuring that they had access to past school and bar examinations.[11] McMaster expanded the law library so much that the School of Law hired the first professional assistant librarian, Catherine Miller, to aid in cataloging the volumes.
McMaster’s Contributions
McMaster joined and became an important part of many organizations, including the American Association of Law Libraries, the American Bar Association, and the Indiana Chapter of the Special Libraries Association. Within these organizations, she served in positions ranging from chair to director. At the university, McMaster served as chair of the IUPUI Council of Librarians.[12]
McMaster combined her interest in women and gender inequality, on campus and off, with her interest in law. Her involvement with the Indiana Women Lawyer’s Association, the Women’s Political Caucus, and the Altrusa women’s organization were examples of how she pursued her passion.
In 1968, she became a founding member of the University Women’s Club, serving as its first vice president.[13] Because academia at that time was predominantly male, the University Women’s Club created a network for university female faculty and staff. The club offered opportunities for members to listen to speakers, go on trips, and attend parties together.
Additionally, during the early 1970s, she worked with Frances Rhome on IUPUI’s Commission on Women. The committee studied problems associated with women on campus, as well as investigated charges of sexual discrimination.[14]
McMaster’s Legacy
Florence McMaster passed away on July 16, 1973 in Malibu, CA. After her death, a memorial service was held for McMaster at IUPUI; numerous alumni, IU President John Ryan, and IUPUI Chancellor Glenn W. Irwin attended to honor her memory.[15] The following year, a portrait of McMaster was unveiled at an alumni reception in the library’s rotunda.[16]
Even after her death, McMaster helped those at the IU School of Law campus in Indianapolis through the establishment of the Indiana University Foundation Florence R. McMaster Memorial Fund for the law library.[17]
Bibliography
- 1930; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Page: 22A; Enumeration District: 0998; FHL microfilm: 2340195.
- “Alumni News.” University of Illinois Library Bulletin 42, no. 8 (1944), pg. 32.
- “Alumni News.” University of Illinois Library Bulletin 43, no. 55 (1946), pg. 21.
- “Florence McMaster, J.D,” Office for Women, https://ofw.iupui.edu/Leadership/Online-Archive-Women-Creating-Excellence-at-IUPUI/Women-Creating-Excellence/FlorenceMcMaster.
- “Florence R. McMaster.” Who Was Who in America 6, 1974-1976.
- “Florence R. McMaster IUPUI Faculty Council Memorial Resolution, 1973, UA-060,” in IUPUI Faculty Council records, Box 12, IUPUI University Library Special Collections and Archives, Indianapolis, Indiana.
- “Former Terre Haute Woman Works in Law Library.” The Terre Haute Tribune, 10 December 1969, pg. 8.
- McMaster, Florence R. “Matching Books with People.” Law Library Journal 64, no. 1 (February 1971): 43-45.
- “McMaster Memorial.” Green Sheet: Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, 3 no. 41 (1973), pg. 3.
- “Mrs. Florence McMaster, IPI Law Professor, Dies.” The Indianapolis Star, 18 July 1973, pg. 52.
- “Names in the News.” The Indianapolis News, 22 March 1974, pg. 33.
- News Bureau, July 21, 1965, Florence McMaster clippings file, IUPUI University Library Special Collections and Archives, Indianapolis, Indiana.
- “Women Building IUPUI A Walking Trail,” IUPUI, http://www.iupui.edu/~history/OLDSITE/trail/assets/Women%20at%20IUPUI%20Brochure.pdf
- “Women’s-World News.” The Indianapolis News, 21 March 1968, pg. 29.
Notes
[1] Florence R. McMaster, “Matching Books with People,” Law Library Journal 64 no. 1 (1971), pg. 43.
[2] “Florence McMaster, J.D,” Office for Women, https://ofw.iupui.edu/Leadership/Online-Archive-Women-Creating-Excellence-at-IUPUI/Women-Creating-Excellence/FlorenceMcMaster.
[3] “Florence R. McMaster,” Who Was Who in America vol. 6, 1974-1976,.
[4] News Bureau, July 21, 1965, Florence McMaster clippings file, IUPUI University Library Special Collections and Archives, Indianapolis, Indiana.
[5] “Alumni News,” University of Illinois Library Bulletin 42, no. 8 (1944), pg. 32; “Alumni News,” University of Illinois Library Bulletin 43, no. 55 (1946), pg. 21.
[6] “Alumni News,” University of Illinois Library Bulletin 43, no. 55 (1946), pg. 21.
[7] “Florence McMaster, J.D,” Office for Women, https://ofw.iupui.edu/Leadership/Online-Archive-Women-Creating-Excellence-at-IUPUI/Women-Creating-Excellence/FlorenceMcMaster.
[8] “Florence R. McMaster,” Who Was Who in America vol. 6, 1974-1976.
[9] “Florence McMaster, J.D,” Office for Women, https://ofw.iupui.edu/Leadership/Online-Archive-Women-Creating-Excellence-at-IUPUI/Women-Creating-Excellence/FlorenceMcMaster.
[10] Florence R. McMaster IUPUI Faculty Council Memorial Resolution, 1973, UA-060, IUPUI Faculty Council records, Box 12, IUPUI University Library Special Collections and Archives, Indianapolis, Indiana.
[11] “Former Terre Haute Woman Works in Law Library,” The Terre Haute Tribune, 10 December 1969, pg. 8.
[12] “Florence McMaster, J.D,” Office for Women, https://ofw.iupui.edu/Leadership/Online-Archive-Women-Creating-Excellence-at-IUPUI/Women-Creating-Excellence/FlorenceMcMaster.
[13] “Florence McMaster, J.D,” Office for Women, https://ofw.iupui.edu/Leadership/Online-Archive-Women-Creating-Excellence-at-IUPUI/Women-Creating-Excellence/FlorenceMcMaster; “Women’s-World News,” The Indianapolis News, 21 March 1968, pg. 29.
[14] “Women Building IUPUI A Walking Trail,” IUPUI, http://www.iupui.edu/~history/OLDSITE/trail/assets/Women%20at%20IUPUI%20Brochure.pdf
[15] “McMaster Memorial,” Green Sheet: Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, 3 no. 41 (1973), pg. 3.
[16] “Names in the News,” The Indianapolis News, 22 March 1974, pg. 33.
[17] “Mrs. Florence McMaster, IPI [ Law Professor, Dies,” The Indianapolis Star, 18 July 1973, pg. 52.