Ruth Garver Gagliardo (September 6, 1895 – January 4, 1980) was an American educator known for her work in developing library services for children. Gagliardo was referred to as the "Kansas Book Lady" for her efforts in promoting books and advocating for resources for teachers and parents. She held several prominent leadership roles in national organizations, including serving as the vice president of the National Parent Teacher Association and as president of the Association for Library Service to Children. Gagliardo's creation of a traveling book exhibit is credited with the start of book fairs in the United States. Early life and education Ruth Jane Garver was born in Hastings, Nebraska, on September 6, 1895. Her father, a traveling minister, died before her birth; her mother remarried when Ruth was seven and the family moved to Topeka, Kansas in 1910. Her mother inspired a love of literature in her and her brother and Ruth collected children's books as a young girl. In 1914, she graduated from Topeka High School, after serving as the school yearbook's editor-in-chief. After being trained to teach at a normal school, she taught at several rural schools. She developed the library of Culver High School, leading to its accreditation; since Garver didn't have a teaching certificate, she could no longer continue working at the school. She began her undergraduate degree at the University of Kansas in 1918, graduating with a bachelor's degree in English in 1922. Career After graduating from the University of Kansas, Gagliardo went to work as a reporter for the Emporia Gazette. In this role she also acted as a part-time personal secretary for editor William Allen White; White talked with many writers and politicians, ensuring that Gagliardo met them all. She covered art, music, and book events and devoted many columns to children's books, which made the Gazette one of the first newspapers to regularly review children's books. Gagliardo moved to Lawrence in 1925, becoming a freelance writer and raising her three children with her husband, Domenico Gagliardo. She maintained her close relationship with William Allen White, and when White died in 1944, she began efforts to start an award to honor him. The William Allen White Children's Book Award is awarded by a vote of Kansas schoolchildren; it was the first statewide children's choice book award established in the United States. In 1942 Gagliardo volunteered to write a book review column for