Fascinating Facts about Mary Ellinor Archer: Google Doodle Commemorates the 129th Birthday of Australia’s First Female Scientist at CSIRO

Google Doodle commemorates Mary Ellinor Lucy Archer, the first woman scientist and Chief Librarian at the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), on her 129th birthday on November 13, 2022. Discover some fascinating and entertaining facts about Mary Ellinor Archer here.

Personal Information about Mary Ellinor Archer

Birth date: 13 November 1893
Birthplace: Malvern, Australia
Died on: 3 May 1979 (aged 85)
Death place: Toorak, Australia
Nationality: Australian
Citizenship: Australian
Alma mater: Melbourne University
Known for: CSIRO’s first woman scientist
Awards: Member of British Empire (MBE)

25 Fascinating Facts about Mary Ellinor Lucy Archer

1. Mary Ellinor Lucy Archer was born on 13 November 1893 in Malvern, Victoria, Australia, and spent her childhood in Malaya.
2. She was an Australian botanist and librarian known as Mary Ellinor Archer.
3. Mary Ellinor Lucy Archer attended Melbourne Girls Grammar School and Melbourne University (B.Sc. 1916; M.Sc. 1918).
4. She added Lucy Ellinor to her name and became known professionally as Ellinor Archer.
5. Mary Ellinor Archer received a Master’s of Science at the University of Melbourne. After graduating, she became a government research scholar and lectured on the biology of plants at Trinity College.
6. As a secretary to a committee on further developing crops, Archer wrote informative bulletins on barley, oats, and wheat.
7. Mary Ellinor Archer also collected agricultural research for a citrus preservation committee, as represented on her blouse in the Google Doodle artwork on her 129th birthday.
8. In November 1918, Mary Ellinor Archer was appointed to the Seed Improvement Committee of the Advisory Council of Science and Industry (later Commonwealth Institute of Science and Industry) as secretary and investigator.
9. In May 1923, Mary Ellinor Lucy Archer took charge of the Institute’s library. Following the inauguration of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIRO) in 1926, she was reclassified as a librarian and scientific assistant in 1929.
10. Mary Ellinor Archer gathered her scientific discoveries and visited Great Britain, where she began studying a library organization system called the universal decimal classification.
11. She encouraged the introduction of the universal decimal classification to the CSIRO, making a lasting contribution to the library profession.
12. Studying the universal decimal classification during her visit to British scientific libraries in 1936, Mary Ellinor Archer enabled its use in CSIRO libraries.
13. Mary Ellinor Lucy Archer created a union catalogue, which became the basis of the National Union Catalogue of Monographs (1960), serving as a unifying force for CSIRO Libraries. She was appointed Chief Librarian in January 1946.
14. Mary Ellinor Archer made a lasting contribution to the library profession as a founding member of the Australian Institute of Librarians in 1937 and its first female president (1948-49) after 11 years.
15. Mary Ellinor Archer’s keen interest in information exchange was reflected in her support of Inter-Library Loans and the promotion of uniform codes and standard forms.
16. She pioneered the concept of “inter-library exchanges,” allowing libraries to circulate their collections to more readers and establishing a national library system.
17. Mary Ellinor Lucy Archer advocated for librarians to access education and become members of the Library Association.
18. As a prominent Australian Special Librarian running a national library system, she traveled extensively, advocating for membership in the Library Association and promoting the education of librarians.
19. While establishing CSIRO’s Perth library in 1954, Mary Ellinor Archer visited other special libraries to offer advice.
20. She was the first female scientist at the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and revolutionized library management, making it easier for people to access books on specialized topics like botany and agriculture.
21. Mary Ellinor Archer was a successful librarian and senior administrator in an organization with few women in senior positions.
22. After retiring on 17 December 1954, Mary Ellinor Archer continued her botanical studies, painting, walking, and supported the Save the Children Fund by collecting and selling books.
23. Mary Ellinor Lucy Archer passed away in Toorak, Melbourne on 3 May 1979.
24. The Ellinor Archer Pioneer Award was named in her honor, which is one of the Australian Library and Information Association’s highest awards, recognizing individuals or institutions pioneering new areas of library and information science.
25. On November 13th, 2022, Mary Ellinor Archer was commemorated with a Google Doodle celebrating her 129th birthday and her lifetime achievements.

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