Kathie Coblentz

Kathie Coblentz (November 4, 1947 – April 3, 2021) was a rare book librarian and author, known for her collaborations with Robert Kapsis on books about film directors such as Clint Eastwood, Woody Allen, and Alfred Hitchcock.[1][2] She was New York Public Library's third-longest serving employee, starting at the library right after graduating from the University of Michigan in 1969.[1] She worked as a rare materials cataloger for NYPL's Spencer Collection, a collection of "illustrated word and book bindings." She also wrote posts for the NYPL's blog that considered the Spencer Collection's materials.[3] Coblentz gave tours of the closed stacks at the library and published her stack tour "patter" on the library's website.[4]

This article is about the rare book librarian. For the children's book author, see Catherine Cate Coblentz.
Kathie Coblentz
BornNovember 4, 1947
Lansing, Michigan
DiedApril 3, 2021(2021-04-03) (aged 73)
New York City, New York
Occupationlibrarian

In 2003, Coblentz published The New York Public Library Guide to Organizing a Home Library. In her view, a home organizing system "doesn't have to be logical, it just has to work for you."[5] The book came packaged with software to assist bibliophiles with classifying and cataloging their collections.[6] She had an extensive home library with sixteen bookcases, containing approximately 3,600 books.[5]

Personal life

Coblentz was born on November 4, 1947, to Dr. Jacob Coblentz, a bacteriologist and Sidney Ellarea Coblentz, an art teacher and artist.[1] She graduated from Michigan State University in 1968 with a degree in German and received an MLIS from the University of Michigan in 1969.[1] She read or spoke thirteen languages.[1] She was killed by an automobile leaving a parking garage in Midtown Manhattan.[7]

References
  1. "Kathie Coblentz, 73, Dies; Not Your Ordinary Librarian". The New York Times. 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  2. "Kathie Coblentz". University Press of Mississippi. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  3. "Posts by Kathie Coblentz". The New York Public Library (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  4. "A Tour of the Stacks". The New York Public Library. 2010-12-21. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  5. "A Bibliophile, 3,600 Friends and a System". The New York Times. 2005-02-10. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  6. "Nonfiction Book Review: Your Home Library: The Complete System for Organizing, Locating, Referencing, and Maintaining Your Book Collection". PublishersWeekly.com. 2003-10-01. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  7. Moynihan, Ellen; Parascandola, Rocco (2021-04-09). "New York Public Library staffer struck and killed by car leaving Manhattan garage". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
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