Sydney B. Mitchell, having received his B.A. and M.A. from McGill University, attended the New York State Library School in Albany, where he studied under Melvil Dewey. He came to the University of California Library in 1911, became associate professor of librarianship in 1922, director of the School of Librarianship in 1927, and was appointed Dean of the School in 1944. He retired in 1946 and devoted himself exclusively to his horticultural interests, mainly to the hybridization of iris. He was the author of several books and a series of articles (in Sunset Magazine) on gardening. He received awards for his new hybrids from American Iris Society, etc.
From the description of Sydney B. Mitchell papers, 1878-1951. (University of California, Berkeley). WorldCat record id: 214986718
