Leslie Edmonds Holt

Martha Leslie Edmonds Holt began life in Minnesota, on August 25, 1949. She grew up in the loving activities of the Donovan-Edmonds families in a cozy rock house in a comfortable south side Minneapolis neighborhood.

Leslie’s adult reminiscences about her childhood often involved stories about her father Pete, an advertising executive who served as editor and writer for Maptalk, the World War II military publication about the Philippines theater and post-war Japan. Pete returned with a wealth of life experience and the beginning of the family’s art collection.

Her brother Rick, and Leslie, both enjoyed their extended family. Both Donovan and Edmonds grandparents lived nearby, and a regular stream of aunts, uncles and cousins visited frequently. As she grew up, Leslie accumulated letters, publications and family history accounts from this large and loving group of ever-changing but very supportive kinfolk.

Like her daughter, Leslie’s mother moved through several careers. As a young woman, Liz began her work by modeling for a Minneapolis department store. After college, she taught English and wrote her own grammar and usage guide. Later in life she assumed leadership of several non-profit women’s groups. She completed her career as an administrator for the Educational Testing Service.

Leslie did most of her public schooling in Minneapolis. The family moved to the Chicago area in time for Leslie to attend high school. She followed that with an undergraduate degree from Cornell College in Iowa, an MA in Library Services from the University of Chicago and a PhD in Reading and Curriculum from Loyola University in Chicago.

Her varied educational and work experiences qualified Leslie for an Assistant Professorship at the University of Illinois School of Information and Library Sciences. Along with her teaching at Illinois, Leslie started publishing articles and books, while presenting educational speeches at conventions and conferences around the nation.

Leslie moved from Illinois to the St. Louis Public Library (SLPL) in 1990 to lead the 30-plus members of the Youth Services staff, increasing the number of annual youth library visits from hundreds to tens of thousands annually. At SLPL she met her future husband, Glen E. Holt, who was the library’s Executive Director. They married in 1994.

Throughout her years at SLPL, Leslie partnered with various scholars, including her husband, on numerous books and articles in library science. She authored books on children’s services, how libraries achieve success, measuring library work achievements (applying the economic tool of cost benefit analysis) along with volumes on how libraries can help the poor even while operating on tight budgets, the improvement of youth services, and successful fund raising.

Responding to appeals from libraries for knowledgeable speakers, the Drs. Holt traveled extensively to speak in the U.S., and to countries including Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Russia, Denmark, China, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand.

Leslie had countless friends and loyal fans for her willingness to tackle hard questions with solid answers and leadership in organizing necessary work. Members of the American Library Association elected her as president of a children’s national staff organization, the Association of Library Services for Children. After retiring in 2004 and moving to Seattle in 2010 to live closer to family, residents at the Aljoya Thornton Place retirement community elected her as president of the Residents’ Council.

Leslie lived a caring life. She was a daily TV news viewer and reader of newspapers and magazines. She held strong opinions about the treatment of children, poor families, and the incarcerated. She used her own resources to help overcome the problems of other citizens. She just cared – and it showed in all that she did.

Leslie died from ovarian cancer on October 31, 2020. Her death was a substantial loss for her extended family and for many friends and co-workers in different professional and residential settings. She is survived by husband Glen E. Holt; brother Rick Edmonds (Marianne); stepchildren Kris E. Holt (Lori), Karen Holt Luetjen (Duke), and Gordon D. Holt (Valerie); grandchildren Allison (Edward), Kyle, Garret and Alana; nieces Leslie and Jenny.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the City Academy in St. Louis, (https://cityacademystl.org/support-our-scholars/) where Leslie volunteered for several years to develop their library and information systems. Or, make a donation to the Leslie Edmonds Holt and Glen E. Holt Endowed Fund in Library and Information Science at the University of Washington Information School (https://www.washington.edu/giving/make-a-gift/?source_typ=3&source=HLTEND) where she served on the MLIS advisory board for nearly a decade.