Frances Neel Cheney

Frances Neel Cheney (August 19, 1906 – May 5, 1996) was an American librarian, professor, and prolific reviewer of reference books. She graduated from Vanderbilt University and served in a number of professional positions at the school, including as an instructor at the Peabody Library School. She also worked for the Library of Congress and the Japan Library School at Keio University. She is best known as the author of the "Current Reference Books" column in the Wilson Library Bulletin, which she wrote for thirty years, as well as for her textbook, Fundamental Reference Sources, that became a standard in the field. She is remembered as one of the foremost reviewers of reference books and a significant figure in the history of reference instruction.