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Collins, Blanche (audio interview #1 of 2)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the first of two interviews conducted in Collins' condo near Belmont Shore; the interviewer could look out the window and see sailboats. The interviewer grew up in Long Beach during the fight that Collins led against censorship of the Long Beach Public Library. 8/1/1979
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- 2020-10-07
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- *** File: cbbcollins1.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-3:10)... Collins was born in Visalia, California. Her grandparents came from Bishop and were involved in the struggle with Los Angeles over the water in the Owens Valley. Her father, Will Collins, was elected sheriff of Tulare County and was a man of great courage. She had a happy childhood. (3:10-4:11)... Her father also worked for Miller and Lux, supervising wheat fields between Tulare and Bakersfield. He drove a horse and buggy to work. (4:11-7:25)... In 1849 her grandmother came to northern California in a covered wagon. Her mother (Louise Clark) was born in Inyo County and her father (William Wallace Collins) migrated to Tehachapi, California when young boy, after WWI. The family were Republicans (7:25-8:10)... When her family lost the water struggle, they moved to Merced. (8:10-9:23)... Her father bought mining stocks and oil property in Kern County. Taft was a center of oil activity (9:23-13:10)... She attended school in Visalia and then got her bachelors degree from Mills College. She then went to the University of Pittsburgh for her library degree. Everyone in Visalia knew each other; it was a small town. Her father was horrified at the mention of divorce. Her family was Republican and her father advised her mother about how to vote. (13:10-15:00)... Her parent's generation did not face the national and individual problems that Collins believes people face at the time of the interview. The standard of living has changed. Her family did not have money. Trips to the city were rare and a car was a luxury. There has been a complete technological change in her lifetime. Her grandmother came to California in a covered wagon and when she was old, she could have flown back. (15:00-19:03)... Her parents had 3 children and she was the youngest. The middle sister died while she was in high school. Occasionally they went to San Francisco and it was a place to have fun. In college she had to make adjustment to being away from home. Her parents expected their children to attend college. Her father and mother had taken some college courses. Her parents were good people and trusted in their community. Her mother helped neighbors with personal problems and her father helped other people with all kinds of problems. (19:03-20:59)... She once made comment about seeing a Black man well dressed when he was visiting her father. The man was the mayor of Black town in the county. Her father told her "That man is a friend of mine and it hurts me to hear you say such a thing." (20:59-22:17)... Chinese farmers who lived near her family raised and sold vegetables. Her family received gifts from them at Christmas. There were also some immigrants from Armenia, Italy and Portugal in her at school. (22:17-23:33)... When she was a girl, crops near her home were harvested by "tramps" and migratory laborers including Chinese workers and American Indians. (23:33-26:10)... Her mother went to a Presbyterian Church regularly and her father went occasionally. She went to church religiously until she went away to college and became involved in social work. The she began to feel that churches didn't care about "sore" spots in the community. (26:10-27:57)... She studied liberal arts in college and struggled over what to choose as a career. A friend suggested she become a children's librarian and in graduate school, she specialized in working with children. (27:57-32:32)... Going to school in Pittsburgh was expensive. She took train to get to library school and found most of the students there were women. She had great time in graduate school and saw snow fall for first time. (32:32-33:55)... When she was young, she not work outside of her home. Her father did not allow his daughters to work nor did any of her friends. (33:55-39:31)... In 1926 her teachers at library school helped her find a job in Long Beach and she never changed her employment, she changed her job titles. She believed she had more opportunities in Long Beach than she might have had elsewhere. She was hired to work at the main library as a children's librarian. Then she moved around the city to work at branch libraries and then to become a branch librarian. From that job, she became head of the Science and Industry collections. Then she became assistant librarian for branches at time when the city had money to build branches. They opened 5 new branches while she help that job. She enjoyed her work. The only previous time she'd seen Long Beach was when her family vacationed here. (39:31-40:04)... The oil boom was already in progress when she was in college but she has seen Long Beach grow significantly since she's been here. (40:04-45:30)... She spent a significant part of her career as a librarian working with branches. Los Alamitos library, at the time of the interview, was small and, in the beginning, was run by an untrained woman at a time where there were not many educated librarians. Then the state began a certification program. The Burnett branch, at the time of the interview, was in a newer building since the old one fell down in the 1933 Earthquake. In the 1930s most branch libraries in Long Beach had a large reading room, with tables and chairs for both adults and children, a workroom, and a staff room. Her duties as a children's librarian included choosing books, visiting schools, and a reading hour. When she was working at the public library, Long Beach also had a good system of school libraries although at the time of the interview, they were not as good. End of tape *** File: cbbcollins2.mp3 (0:00-3:01)... Brief Introduction Collins worked as a children's librarian at Burnett Library between 1926 and 1927. In 1930, she became branch librarian at Belmont Library on 4th and Roycroft. She worked there for 10 years. (3:01-4:54)... When she first moved to Long Beach, she lived with a friend she met in library school who also found a job in a branch library in Long Beach. When her parents moved to Long Beach, Collins moved in with them. At the time, the library branch system was expanding and librarians were being recruited for jobs in the library system. (4:54-7:35)... She did not have a science background and was not particularly qualified to work as the head librarian of the Science and Industry Department. Her overall training as a librarian, coupled with the techniques she learned while working in the science area, prepared her for this position. (7:35-13:45)... While she was working as a librarian, Collins was a member of the AAUW. She reviewed books for the AAUW and other women's clubs while she was branch librarian at Belmont and head of the Science and Industry Department. She enjoyed her role as a librarian and misses working with the staff and the patrons. The residents living near Belmont Library were mainly middle-class. (13:45-15:50)... When Edwin Castagna became City Librarian of Long Beach in 1951, he created the position of assistant librarian in charge of branches and appointed Collins to that position. She believes that public library work is a "people-centered profession." As assistant librarian, she worked with the public in discussing and selecting books for the library. She left this position in 1960 when she replaced Castagna as City Librarian. (15:50-19:59)... When Collins became assistant librarian for branches, she participated in several community groups, including the YWCA, the National Conference of Christian and Jews, the Historical Society of Long Beach, and the Women's Division of the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce. The purpose of a historical society in Long Beach was to showcase the development of the city. Many community leaders believed it was a "wholesome thing for the city to be proud of its past." (19:59-25:38)... The library opened several new branches while she was assistant librarian. She learned a lot while working with the architects and the other branch librarians during this process. City voters approved the funding for new branches and the expansion of the book collection. (25:38-28:36)... The development of Long Beach State College did not affect the operation of the library branches in Long Beach. But the new college library's rudimentary book collection led many students to do their research at the public library. At some point, the public library system denied vacations to librarians during the Christmas recess because of the number of college students coming in to use the collections. Collins never envisioned that the college would become a large institution. The college library originally was housed in a Quonset hut. For several years, the college library and the branch libraries coordinated their efforts in developing a film festival. (28:36-34:33)... Collins believes that the interaction between librarians and the public should be friendly. She encouraged a cooperative relationship with patrons. With the growth of the public library system, the relationship between the library staff and the patrons has changed. In many ways, the environment at libraries is "cold" because there is very little interaction between the librarians and the patrons (34:33-38:51)... She was appointed City Librarian in 1960. She felt that in this position she could pursue the types of programs she thought were important to library service. She enjoyed this position because in it, she became more connected with the community. Her involvement in community groups increased during at this time and she felt that her position was integral to community development (38:51-41:12)... Collins supported the National Conference of Christian and Jews. She helped organize an interfaith program, summer camps for youngsters, and workshops on interracial issues while serving on the board of this organization. (41:12-44:38)... In addition to her work on the Women's Division of the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce and other professional programs, she was involved with the Long Beach Public Corporation for the Arts. An important contribution of this group to the community was "Long Beach Day," a public forum for people to discuss important issues affecting the community. End of tape
- SUBJECT BIO - Blanche Collins was Long Beach City Librarian when ultra conservatives tried to censor the books and periodicals that the library circulated. She led the fight to keep diverse materials available in the library. She came to Long Beach after graduating from library school. She served as branch librarian and then as head of all of the branches and supervised planning and construction of several new buildings to serve the area's growing post World War II population. In these two interviews, Collins talks about growing up in the California's central valley and the amazing changes she'd seen in her lifetime. When she became City Librarian, she participated in many community organizations and continued in these group after she retired. TOPICS - family background; churches; education; employment; Long Beach Public Library and branch libraries;branch libraries; City Librarian; community activities; National Council of Christians and Jews; Long Beach Chamber of Commerce; American Association of University Women; and Edwin Castagna;
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