Isabelle T. Anderson was born in Conifer, Colorado in 1905. She graduated from University of Colorado in 1927 with an AB in English after which she was an assistant in the School of Medicine Library at the University of Colorado. In 1930, she received her BS Library Science from the University of Illinois.

She served in many capacities as a medical librarian. From 1930-1947 she was the Ramsey County Medical Society librarian in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was Director of University of Utah Medical School Library from 1947-1956. She was a founding member of the Colorado Council of Medical Librarians in 1957. From 1956-1960 she was Library Director of the Denver Medical Society. She was then employed at the National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, first as Reference librarian and then Circulation Department, administering a large inter-library loan program. She was an associate of Dr. Estelle Brodman, at Washington University, School of Medicine Library, St. Louis, MO, where she went in 1961 to work again as assistant librarian. She was Librarian of the Medical and Neurological Sciences Library at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Phoenix, AZ from 1965 to 1970.

She was associated with the Medical Library Association from 1931 until her death, serving on several committees, including the committee for the Handbook of Medical Library Practice and Standards for Medical Librarianship. She was president in 1958/59. She also lectured at library schools such as at the University of Minnesota, the University of Denver, Catholic University, Washington, and the College of St. Catherine.