The only biography that exists of Isadore Gilbert Mudge is a dissertation written by Columbia student, John N. Waddell, in 1973.

[1] In one portion he sums up what were her ideals, “Mudge’s professional concerns were not confined to the Columbia reference department….She was constantly concerned with the problems and tools bibliographical control in the widest possible area….but herself preached the gospel of cooperative bibliographic at home and abroad, by pen and by tongue.”[3] Isadore Gilbert Mudge was raised in Brooklyn, New York, as the oldest child in her family.

[4] During her undergraduate studies she was motivated by Professor and Librarian George Lincoln Burr to pursue her own library degree.

From her first job as a librarian, Mudge wanted library patrons to be able to access reference books and learn on an independent basis.

Butler found her “incredibly resourceful in meeting his varied reference and bibliographic needs.”[1] She began to push for all libraries to have a reference section that would include at least “the possession of certain basic works, a dictionary, an encyclopedia, an atlas, a biographical dictionary” but hopefully would also include “a book of quotations, handbook of statistics, a state or government manual”.

[1] Around 1927 she began working as an associate professor at Columbia’s new School of Library Services, teaching Bibliography and Bibliographic Methods.

She also wrote articles for the Library Journal, worked on editing and creating bibliographies, dictionaries and other reference materials.