The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
Major Robert Odell Owens was an American politician and librarian who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2007,representing the New York's 11th and then 12th congressional district. He was first elected to replace retiring representative Shirley Chisholm. Owens shepherded the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 through the House. He retired at the end of his term in January 2007 and was succeeded by Yvette Clarke.
Elonnie J. Josey was an African-American activist and librarian. Josey was the first chair of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association,having been instrumental in its formation in 1970;served as president of the American Library Association from 1984 to 1985;and was the author of over 400 books and other publications.
Jesse Hauk Shera was an American librarian and information scientist who pioneered the use of information technology in libraries and played a role in the expansion of its use in other areas throughout the 1950s,60s,and 70s.
Education for librarianship,including for paraprofessional library workers,varies around the world,and has changed over time. In recent decades,many institutions offering librarianship education have changed their names to reflect the shift from print media to electronic media,and to information contained outside of traditional libraries. Some call themselves schools of library and information science,or have dropped the word "library" altogether.
Robert Wedgeworth is an American librarian who was the founding President of ProLiteracy Worldwide,an adult literacy organization. He is also a former executive director of the American Library Association,served as president of IFLA,served as Dean of the School of Library Service at Columbia University,and was university librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has also authored and edited several major reference works,and has won many awards over the course of his career. In 2021 the American Library Association awarded him Honorary Membership,its highest award.
Peggy Sullivan was an American librarian and educator. She was elected president of the American Library Association and was a scholar of the history of librarianship.
James F. Williams II is a retired American librarian. He was the Dean of Libraries at the University of Colorado at Boulder from 1988-2017.
Nasser Sharify was a library and information scientist born in Tehran,Iran. Since 1987,he served as a Distinguished Professor and Dean Emeritus of Pratt Institute,School of Information and Library Science in New York City.
Lester Eugene Asheim was an American librarian and scholar of library science and film history. He was on the faculty of the University of Chicago Graduate Library School and the University of North Carolina and held positions in the American Library Association (ALA). He was included among the "100 most important leaders we had in the 20th century" by the American Library Association.
Ralph W. Munn was an eminent figure in the field of American and international library and information science. Recognized by the journal American Libraries as one of "100 of the most important leaders we had in the 20th century",and described as an "administrator,educator,and author ... known for his fairness,clarity,and grace",he was also widely known within the profession as "the father of the modern library movement in Australia and New Zealand".
William Howard Brett was head librarian for the Cleveland Public Library from 1884 to 1918. American Libraries described him as one of the "100 most important leaders (librarians) had in the 20th century" His efforts to provide lifelong learning was the basis for the Cleveland Public Library to be recognized as the "People's University."
Ching-chih Chen is a Chinese-born American educator,administrator,consultant,and speaker in the field of digital information management and technology. After her 10-year administrative experience,and 49-year teaching,research,consulting and speaking activities,she became professor emeritus of Simmons College in June 2010,and president of Global Connection and Collaboration,Inc.,a non-profit tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.
The Chinese American Librarians Association or CALA,is a library association that supports professional development and research scholarship of CALA members,in the profession of librarianship.
Kathleen de la Peña McCook is a library scholar and librarian. She is a Distinguished University Professor in the School of Information at the University of South Florida. Much of her work centers around human rights,First Amendment issues,and the freedom of information.
Barbara J. Ford is an American librarian who served as president of the American Library Association from 1997 to 1998. She earned a bachelor's degree from Illinois Wesleyan University,a master's degree in International Relations from Tufts University and a master's degree in library science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Betty J. Turock is an American librarian and educator who served as president of the American Library Association from 1995 to 1996. She was a member of the faculty of the Rutgers School of Communication and Information for 22 years. Turock is best known for her advocacy for equity of access to electronic information via the Internet as well as for championing diversity in the library profession.
F. William Summers was an American librarian and educator in library and information science. Summers held a number of leadership positions in the American Library Association,including serving as the organization's president from 1988 to 1989.
The ALA Medal of Excellence is an annual award bestowed by the American Library Association for recent creative leadership of high order,particularly in the fields of library management,library training,cataloging and classification,and the tools and techniques of librarianship. It was first awarded in 1953 to Ralph R. Shaw,Director of the National Agriculture Library.
Raymond Pun is an academic and research librarian at the Alder Graduate School of Education. He is the elected president of the American Library Association for 2025–2026. On June 14,2024,it was announced that Pun would be unable to assume the American Library Association presidency due to health reasons.
