Here are fifteen things you never knew about early librarian Mary Foy!

1. Foy had only a high school degree when she became librarian of the Central Library in 1880. She apprenticed under older librarians working in the Oakland and San Francisco public libraries.
2. She was the first female librarian in Los Angeles, replacing an earlier male appointee.
3. Foy campaigned for the position by asking city council members for their votes.
4. Foy was chaperoned at the library by her father each day.
5. Her father first came to California as a result of the gold rush. He later bought property in the area that is now Figueroa. The house was sold and moved a few times, but still stands at 1337 Carroll Street in historic Angelino Heights. It has appeared in the TV shows Charmed and the film Guilt Trip.
6. During her childhood, Foy witnessed the first gaslight lamps lit, and "met the first train between Los Angeles and San Pedro."
7. In Foy's day, patrons had to pay for library membership.
8. Foy loaned out books to tourists but requested that they leave deposits covering the cost of the books before checking out.
9. She introduced cataloging to the library.
10. Foy was a suffragette who supported women's rights and joined several groups dedicated to making voting for women a reality.
11. She served as librarian for four years before being replaced by a woman (Jessie Gavitt) who the city council believed was "more in need of a salary."
12. Foy later became a teacher, dabbled in real estate, and when her father died, began managing the family's sizable estate while still supporting causes she cared about.
13. Late in life, she supervised library projects for the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
14. She died in her sleep in 1962, and her body lay in state at Los Angeles City Hall.
15. The Central Library Children's Reading Room was once called The Mary Foy California Room.