Mary Niles Maack

Sir, I learned of your wife's death while I was editing Les bâtisseuses de la lecture publique, une histoire des premières femmes bibliothécaires en France entre 1900 et 1950, published by Presses de l'Enssib. This book owes much to the research of Mary Niles Maack Yours sincerely, Bien cordialement, Isabelle Antonutti, historienne et bibliothécaire

I only learned of Mary's passing today. I first met her in 1988 when I interviewed for a position at the UCLA Graduate School of Library and Information Science. Gracious and welcoming, she had a passion for the history of books, libraries, reading, and women's history, and it was a joy to discuss mutual research interests with her. When I first arrived in L.A. without furniture or a car, she took me shopping, loaned me a futon, and made sure I discovered the city's many wonderful museums....

I was so very sorry to find out that Mary had died... She was always so warm and cheery, and I just thought she'd go on forever. For a number of years, Mary would invite Joan Kaplowitz and me to speak to her classes of MLIS students about information literacy. She really appreciated the interactivity we made sure to include in each guest session we did for her students. Joan and I were also very honored when Mary and Marcia Bates edited the 3d edition of the Encyclopedia of Library and...

I took a class on historical research with Mary; she recognized my passion for my project (the life and times of librarian Miriam Matthews), and convinced me to turn it into a Master's thesis, for which she was my advisor. She somehow managed to be both encouraging and challenging, and the thesis and my subsequent work on Matthews benefited greatly from her generous advice. She was a wonderful professor and advisor, and a truly lovely person. I will miss her greatly, and my heart goes out to...

When I think of Mary, the first word that comes to mind is "kind," followed by "nurturing." And now, having read her obituary, "humble." She seldom spoke about her own achievements. As a teacher and an advisor, her focus was on nurturing the students' interests and abilities and empowering them to achieve their full potential. After I graduated, she remained an advisor and a role model, and also became a friend. She never stopped learning and growing. I last spoke with her in March, 2022. She...

Mary was a wonderful colleague. Always supportive and kind to all of us, her faculty colleagues, staff and students. Before we started using the words diversity, equity and inclusion, anyone who met Mary knew that she lived by them. She advocated for the rights of women and the underserved, she would speak up for equity, and made you feel included whether in the classroom, at work, or one of her and Steve's dinner parties. She was a working mom, I could emulate as she was comfortable having...

I met Dr. Mary Maack just briefly through zoom in a class meeting her husband Dr. Stephen Maack took with me. But I could already tell she was such a great person, generous, welcoming, and loving all the people in her life. After reading the obituary, I admire Dr. Mary Maack so much more! What a beatiful life she had lived! My throughts and prayors are with the family and you all!

Mary was a valued colleague from my time at UCLA to the present. She was a talented scholar and a generous person. She was also a wonderful scholar. I will always remember her library, her dogs, and our yoga classes. Mary, you have left a legacy of schlarship and of sharing.