Louise Reid Coursey, a former employee at Penn Libraries, died on October 6. She was 87.

Ms. Coursey was born in Ardmore, PA. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Barber Scotia College in Concord, North Carolina, and a master’s degree in library sciences from Villanova University. She joined Penn’s staff in 1955 as a librarian at Penn’s Biddle Law Library. In 1970, she took a position at Penn’s Dental Library, and six years later, she moved to the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library. In 1993, she led an effort to collect some 1,500 books for inclusion in Van Pelt’s African-American Studies Seminar Room (Almanac March 23, 1993). A member of Penn’s 25-Year Club, Ms. Coursey retired in 1998 after a career of over 42 years at Penn. Among students at Penn, she was fondly known as “The Duchess.”

Ms. Coursey was active in her community. She served on several committees of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Ardmore, helping found the church’s influential Lay Organization and spearheading efforts to rebuild the church after it was damaged in a 1973 fire. “Sister Coursey was well known, well-loved and well-respected locally and abroad,” said her family in a tribute. “She loved her family (biological and church) and friends and was a true source of strength and information.”

Contributions in Ms. Coursey’s memory may be made to the Bethel AME Church of Ardmore.