GRACE VAN WORMER
Acting Director of Libraries
February 1932 – 1943
1927 – 1930
1922 – 1924
Grace Wormer graduated from Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, Iowa, attended the University of Illinois library school for one year, then served as first assistant in the Waterloo public library for two years. She came to Iowa as an assistant cataloger in June 1912, moving up to order librarian before serving her first interim as acting director in 1922. This first interim appointment was with the understanding she would serve “until a suitable man can be found.” She remained head of the order and binding department, then served as acting director two more times until 1943. Wormer was appointed assistant director of special collections in 1949, and developed the Iowa Authors collection. This collection was near 2,500 volumes representing 500 different authors when Wormer retired in July 1954.