Frances Lander Spain (March 15, 1903 – January 20, 1999)[1] was a children's librarian and an instructor of school library services.

[5] Born Frances Lander, she was the oldest of three children, but both of her younger siblings died early in childhood.

[4] Spain returned to Winthrop College as the librarian director in 1945 and between then and 1948, both instructed classes and worked her way up the South Carolina Library Association (SCLA).

[7] Spain started as the chair of the school library section of the SCLA and gradually moved up as vice-president and eventually became president in 1947.

One year after returning from Thailand, Spain was offered the Head of Children's Services at the New York Public Library (NYPL).

[4] During her eight years at NYPL, Spain followed in the tradition of her predecessors and became the editor of the "Books for Young People," an article in the Saturday Review Magazine.

[4] She also published two revered collections of work on children's services, "Reading Without Boundaries," and "The Contents of the Basket.

"[4] The New York Public Library attributes their 50% circulation increase in children's books to Spain's dedication.

Most notable during her two years as ALA president was her refusal to give a nomination for the head of the Library of Congress.