Former EVPL Library Director Edward A. Howard passed away on September 29, 2026.
Ed Howard became the fourth director of the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library in 1962, fifty years into the library’s history. At that time, Central Library was still at Fifth and Locust, the branch libraries were East, North (later renamed Stringtown), West, and Howell. He served as Library Director for 33 years, until June 1995, during which he added McCollough, North Park (initially named Meadow Park), and Oaklyn, and replaced Howell with the Red Bank Branch. In addition, he oversaw the major transition away from the individual card catalogs at each location to the computerized catalog, which allowed one to see exactly which locations owned copies of an item and whether they were available, and the addition of computers for both staff and the public to use.
Mr. Howard hired me in 1985, fresh out of library school. He was always formal and correct with his staff, but he cared deeply about them, about the library, and about Evansville. He could be exacting and he had high expectations, but he also had a sense of humor, and the lucky ones got to see the twinkle in his eye. He wasn’t afraid to learn new things from his staff, and he delighted when staff brought him a resolution he hadn’t considered to a problem. He was a dedicated member of the Downtown Kiwanis for years, as well as many other civic organizations. I was lucky to also know him away from the library, when my family joined his church, UUCE, where he was a respected elder, many-time member of the Board – frequently as an officer- and member of the Occasional Choir. The hardest thing for me was getting comfortable with calling him “Ed” at church but keeping to “Mr. Howard” at work. I appreciate that I had the chance to work for him, to work with him, and to be a friend. I will miss his appreciation of history, his sense of humor, hearing him tell a story, and listening to him sing.
More information:
- Obituary for Edward A. Howard
- For more information on EVPL during Mr. Howard’s years as director: The Third Quarter 1962-1987: An Account of the History of the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Public Library
