Frances V. Sedney

Frances Veronica Sedney, of Bel Air, Maryland passed away peacefully at home on May 21, 2015. Born in Boston, Massachusetts on June 21, 1927, Mrs. Sedney graduated from St. Joseph's College in Emmitsburg, Maryland in 1948 and received a Masters in Library Science from Carnegie Mellon University in 1949. Shortly thereafter, she was hired by the New York Public Library as a children's librarian working on the Bookmobile that serviced immigrant communities in New York bringing to fruition her life-long passion for sharing books with under-served children.

After marrying Raymond Sedney, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, who predeceased her, they relocated to Bel Air, Maryland where Mrs. Sedney continued her work, beginning with volunteer storytelling at St. Margaret's Elementary School and ending with her retirement in 1995, as Coordinator of Children's Services for Harford County Public Library. She was a believer in the dynamic relationship between child and librarian. She noted on one occasion "The child that walks out with five Star Trek books.…may also be carrying Gulliver's Travels and Around the World in Eighty Days…and I am not going to presume to make the value judgment as to which one of these books is going to make the most profound…. impression. All I want is to make sure I have whatever is going to make sure to engage that child so that he or she will keep coming back to me…Eventually I'll get that child to read what I want him or her to because I'm very persuasive."

For over forty years, Mrs. Sedney was an active member of the American Library Association and its Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), serving in a variety of ALA and ALSC leadership positions. She received a Service Award from the Maryland Library Association honoring her years of service. In 1985, Mrs. Sedney was selected to serve on a Newbery Prize Committee as a selector for the recipient of the John Newbury Medal awarded to each year's "most distinguished contributor to American literature for children." She was also invited, in the same year, with two other librarians, to review nominees for the Boston Globe Hornbook Award. Mrs. Sedney acted as a Seminar Leader and facilitator for Simmons College Summer Institute for the Study of Children's Literature for over ten years and then as a facilitator for summer programs hosted by Children's' Literature New England.

Mrs. Sedney felt that every child was important and deserved the best library services that could be provided. Mrs. Sedney initiated programs at the Harford County Public Library that continue today. Thirty-six years ago, realizing that with more women working outside the home, there were many children in Harford County who could not come to story hours because they were in home daycare, she obtained a grant and launched "Opening the Gift", a program that sent children's librarians out to the country visiting home daycare providers to tell stories to the children. "Many children couldn't get to the Library because of transportation limitations and because they lived 'out in the country'", Mrs. Sedney recounted to the Baltimore Sun in 1995. Another federal grant, also obtained initially by Mrs. Sedney, funded "Sharing the Gift", a program that brought storytelling to licensed day care centers. One of Mrs. Sedney's most outstanding accomplishments was the establishment of the "Learning and Sharing Program" to promote physical, cognitive, emotional and sensory growth necessary for reading readiness.

Mrs. Sedney was involved with Scouting through her own children and then became professionally involved with the Boy Scouts of America while serving as the Chair of the ALSC Boy Scouts of America Advisory Committee. The Library provided courses and support for a wide variety of merit badges including bookbinding. She and her staff attended a number of National Scout Jamborees. She threw herself with gusto into the Jamboree life, passing out free books, sometimes as many as 24, 000, sleeping on cots and sloshing through rain; all in the interest of engaging children (adolescents) so they will keep coming back for more.

Mrs. Sedney was a fervent opera fan, traveling as often as she could to New York for an opera packed weekend.

Mrs. Sedney is survived by her sons: David Sedney (Diana) of Falls Church, Virginia; Blaise Sedney (Rosemarie) of Forest Hill, Maryland; Damian Sedney (Katrina) of Underhill, VT; and, Quentin Sedney (Michele) of Reisterstown, Maryland and her daughters: Deirdre Griffiths (Sherman dec.) of Natick, Massachusetts; Jocelyn Sedney (Holly Williams) of Quincy, Massachusetts; Vivian Sedney of Santa Rosa, California; and, Allegra Sedney of Weymouth, Massachusetts. Her son, Justin Sedney (Tajah Sprecher), predeceased her. She will be missed by her eighteen grandchildren: Gwen Gahnberg, Anna Sedney, Christina Sedney, Hilary Griffiths, Melanie Griffiths, Cara Sedney, Nicholas Sedney, Patrick Sedney, Sarah Sedney, Kathleen Sedney, Anne Sedney, Claire Sedney, Luke Sedney, Ian Sedney, Megan Sedney, Colleen Sedney, Brennan Sedney and Rosie Sedney. Her granddaughter, Gloria Sedney, predeceased her. She was also the proud great-grandmother of:, Eli Gahnberg, Mira Gahnberg, and Jaela Elsbry; and loving sister of Ann Udell of Los Angeles, CA, Herbert Hewes of Rochester, NY and Robert Hewes of Los Angeles, CA..

In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made to Harford County Public Library Foundation by visiting their website at www.HCPLonline.org.