Gabriel Hetting Landmark, the first official Luther College Librarian, was born in Bergen, Norway, on December 12, 1833, and died on August 17, 1907.

After receiving his A.B. degree, Landmark continued at the University of Christiania to receive his A.M. degree in 1861. Immediately afterwards, he was appointed as a teacher at that same university until he left for the United States in 1876.

Upon his arrival in the United States, Landmark came to Luther College as the sixth professor at the college, instructing courses in Latin, Greek, Norwegian, history, geography, and penmanship. In addition to teaching classes, he worked as an author and editor. Along with two other professors, Lyder Siewers and Knut E. Burgh, Landmark founded For hjemmet, a Christian monthly magazine published in Decorah. He served as joint editor from 1870-1876.

Landmark was also appointed to the newly created position of College Librarian. Prior to 1867, the library administration was centralized under the duties of the college president, Laur Larsen. There is no record of any one individual significantly designated as “librarian” until the appointment of Gabriel Landmark.

In 1876, Landmark returned to Norway where, a year later, he became a head teacher in Christiansund. He also began to teach in Aalesund in 1882, where he served as the editor of Aalesunds Handels- og Sjøfartstidende for eight years.

Ref: Nelson, David T. Luther College, 1861-1961. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1961; Norlie, O.M. et al. Luther College Through Sixty Years, 1861-1921. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1922.