Kapsner, Oliver Leonard, 1902-1991

Oliver Leonard Kapsner (1902-1991) was a Benedictine monk, librarian, scholar, and teacher. After attending Saint John's University, he entered the novitiate at Saint John's Abbey in 1922, a year later professed as a Benedictine monk, and was ordained as a priest in 1928. Kapsner studied philosophy, theology, and library science, and from 1932 to 1950 taught philosophy and served as assistant or chief librarian at Saint John’s University, barring the years from 1943 to 1946, when he was a U.S. Army Chaplain in Europe. He served as a research cataloger at Catholic University of America from 1951, and at Saint Vincent Archabbey and College from 1958. In 1964, he began work on the microfilming project in Europe for Saint John's abbey as the first field director for what would later become the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML). He worked in Austria, Italy, and Germany in that capacity from 1964 to 1971, and later spent over a decade as a cataloger for HMML.

HMML ID
892400533963
PURL
https://w3id.org/haf/person/892400533963
LC name
Kapsner, Oliver Leonard, 1902-1991
HMML name
Kapsner, Oliver Leonard, 1902-1991
Library of Congress
https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81076051
VIAF
https://viaf.org/viaf/43161306

Variants

  • Kapsner, Oliver
  • Kapsner, Oliver L.
  • Kapsner, Oliver L. (Oliver Leonard)
  • Oliver Kapsner
  • Oliver L. Kapsner
  • Oliver Leonard Kapsner

Name elements

Given names
Leonard
Family names
Kapsner
Honorific prefixes
Father ● Fr.
Honorific suffixes
O.S.B.
Religious names
Oliver

Personal information

Birth date
1902
Death date
1991-08-08
Centuries
20th century CE
Gender
Males
Place born
Place died
Place residence
Associated countries
Occupations
Fields of activity
Languages
English ● German ● Latin

Affiliations

Graduate of
Affiliation
Employer

Personal relationships

Associates

General notes

Description
Father Oliver Kapsner, OSB, 1902-1991; born Leonard Kapsner in 1902 in Buckman, MN; from 1912 attended Saint John's Prep School and Saint John's University; 1922 entered novitiate; a year later professed as a Benedictine monk; ordained a priest in 1928; studied philosophy, theology, and library science; from 1932 to 1950 taught philosophy and served as assistant or chief librarian at Saint John’s; 1943-1946 as U.S. Army Chaplain in Europe; 1951 research cataloger at Catholic University of America; 1958 research cataloger at Saint Vincent Archabbey and College; from 1964, worked on microfilming project in Europe for Saint John's Abbey, as first field director for what would later become the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library; in Austria from 1964 to 1971; 1976-1988 as a cataloger for HMML; died on August 8, 1991
Citations
Matthew Heintzelman, "Profiles: Father Oliver Kapsner, OSB (1902-1991)—A Life in Libraries," Theological librarianship 5, no. 1 (January 2012): 4-6, https://serials.atla.com/theolib/article/view/2238/2605.

Preferred citation

"Kapsner, Oliver Leonard, 1902-1991." HMML Authority File. Hill Museum & Manuscript Library. Last modified October 05, 2021. https://w3id.org/haf/person/892400533963

Change notes

Date added
2021-04-19
Last edited
2021-10-05