In 1938, Powell became an assistant in the acquisitions department of the UCLA library and in 1944 started a 17-year career as university librarian. Traveling Britain in 1950 on a Guggenheim Fellowship, Powell combed bookstores to secure additions to the UCLA library. His efforts that year helped the university secure one of the top collections of 17th century books and manuscripts. His pursuits were even marked by touches of derring-do. In a life that bore witness to a century of change, Powell found the world of words a happy constant.
Printing is no longer the only way of reproducing books.
Powell, who taught briefly at Occidental, strongly influenced the course of the college's library. In 1955, the college awarded an honorary Litt.D. degree to Powell. Over the years his literary musings served as a practicum for aspiring wordsmiths. That is, he is perceptive, he is feeling, and he has the power to express in language what he observes and reacts to. Powell's unabated love for literature allowed him to forge friendships with Henry Miller, Aldous Huxley and Lawrence Durrell.