Bertha Gaulke and the Hampton (Iowa) Public Library

Suzy Knipfel, the Hampton Public Library's director, was excited to hear about my project and handed me a thick binder of clippings and pictures concerning the library. She first pulled out a picture of Bertha Gaulke, who was Hampton’s librarian for forty one years (1923 - 1964), and an unsigned and undated biography of Bertha  (the quotes and information below come from this manuscript). Born in 1897 to immigrant parents from Prussia, during WWI “Bertha’s family felt the scorn and contempt of the times and their ties to Germany.” This “bright, well read” young lady was hired as a library clerk at the Hampton library in 1923 and “worked under the excellent guidance of Mary Kingsbury…Most patrons who remember Bertha in her younger years, tell us that she was fun loving, had great storytimes, and very much loved children.” When children came to the library, she welcomed them with her fingers to her lips “with a low ‘Shhhh’.”

Bertha was very petite, dressed simply, walked to and from work, wore tennis shoes for this walk, and wore her braided hair around her head. She was a loner who worked diligently at her job and was a loyal and faithful employee of the Hampton Public Library for forty-one years.

Bertha also had firm opinions regarding her patrons’ requests. Suzy’s mother was living in Hampton while she was engaged to be married; she was about 21 years old at that time. Suzy recalled her mother telling her that Bertha refused to allow her to check out a book because she deemed it too “mature” for her. When her mother protested that she was an adult engaged to be married, Bertha held her ground. No lady needed to be reading that material, averred Bertha, who was never herself married. 

George Robert (“Bob”) Artley, a local boy who grew up to be a professional illustrator, cartoonist, and author was best known for his single panel comics “Memories of a Former Kid.” One of these panels hangs in the Director’s office. It shows a young Bob holding open a large reference book, with the librarian Bertha peering around a bookshelf, concern on her face, to where Bob was crouching. The panel reads 

I found our public library an interesting place even though our librarian [Bertha], being concerned for our morals, kept a close tab on the books the young folks chose. I especially felt her disapproval when looking through the reference books on art and anatomy where the models were “not adequately clothed.”

Bertha was strict, not heartless. Suzy handed me the illustrated book Tomas and the Library Lady (by Pat Mora), a “based on a true story” of Tomas Rivera's childhood in Hampton as the child of migrant farm workers. The book portrays Tomas as seeing the word Carnegie above the door of the library, thinking it must have something to do with meat (carne), and going in to find out. Bertha told Tomas about Carnegie, welcomed into the library, and it became his second home. He taught her Spanish, and she returned the favor in English. Because migrant workers did not have a permanent address, they could not obtain library cards, sBertha checked out books for Tomas in her name. Tomas went on to become the first Latino chancellor of a university (California Riverside) in the US, which named one of its libraries in his honor. He may be best known for his novel, …And the Earth Did Not Devour Him (...y no se lo tragó la tierra), first published in Spanish but available in several English translations. The children’s book Tomas and the Library Lady, which tells a story of “understanding, patience and perseverance,” is said to be included in school curricula across the country. Librarians can change, and do change, lives.