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In 1871, Daniel Alexander Payne Murray began working at the Library ol Congress at the age of 19. During this time period, librarians were mostly trained through apprenticeships. The fact that Murray received a yearly salary of $1,400 indicates he was hired as a professional.
Under the tutelage of Librarian of Congress Ainsworth Spofford, Murray gained an excellent grounding in librarianship, which he put to good use throughout his 52-year career at LC. His training was similar to that of today's librarian, with an emphasis on professionalism, research, and service. Murray was promoted to assistant librarian in 1881 and held this position until he retired in 1923-except for a brief period in 1897 when he became chief of the Periodical Division. However, the other employees did not accept him as their supervisor because he was black, and ultimately Spofford returned him to his former post.
Following in his mentor's footsteps, Murray acquired an enthusiasm for collection development and began acquiring African-American works, which later became LCs "Colored Author Collection." Herbert Putnam, who succeeded Spofford as Librarian of...