Thomas R. Adams - Career As A Rare Book Librarian

Career As A Rare Book Librarian

Adams began his career in rare books in 1947 at the Library Company of Philadelphia. He served as curator of rare books in the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library at the University of Pennsylvania from 1950 to 1955. rare books. In 1955, he was appointed Custodian of the Chapin Library at Williams College, remaining there until 1957, when he was appointed Librarian of The John Carter Brown Library. He retired from that position in 1983, and stayed on as University Professor at Brown until 1991.

Adams served on the boards and advisory committees of many institutions including the Rhode Island Historical Society, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence Athenaeum and Mystic Seaport Museum.

He served on the Council of the Bibliographical Society of America, 1969–1980, and as its President, 1978-1980. He was a Guggenheim Fellow in 1963, a National Endowment for the Humanities Senior Fellow in 1971, and recipient of several National Endowment for the Humanities and Mellon Foundation publication grants. He was a member of the American Antiquarian Society, Massachusetts Historical Society, Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Club of Odd Volumes, Grolier Club, as well as the Century and Barnstable, Massachusetts Yacht Clubs.

He was the 2008 recipient of the John Carter Brown Library Medal, in recognition of distinguished service to the Library. he died in Providence, Rhode Island.