Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture

Last updated

The Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture presented at the annual conference of the American Library Association (ALA) is tribute to the work of Jean E. Coleman to ensure that all citizens, particularly Native Americans and adult learners, have access to quality library services. Dr. Coleman directed the ALA, Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS) which served the Association by identifying and promoting library services that support equitable access to the knowledge and information stored in our libraries. [1] OLOS focused attention on services that are inclusive of traditionally underserved populations, including new and non-readers, people geographically isolated, people with disabilities, rural and urban poor people, and people generally discriminated against based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identification, age, language and social class. The Jean E. Coleman lecture is now sponsored by the Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS). [2]

Contents

Jean E. Coleman

The Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture series is an opportunity for library workers to learn more about their roles in providing equity of access. The Social Responsibilities Round Table Action Council of the American Library Association approved the following testimonial to the work of African American librarian Jean Coleman in outreach during her work from 1973 to 1986 for the ALA Office for Library Outreach Services (now Office for Literacy and Outreach Services: OLOS):

Jean Coleman ... was outstanding in her willingness to listen to the members of the groups she worked with and to make their wishes effective, translating ideas into action and program, unlike the model of the staff who organizes the agenda and steers the meetings in a controlled setting.
She offered her services especially warmly to the minority librarians and those from small libraries, and did not play a career-promoting role of special services for the powerful. She therefore fully represented the original concerns of ALA in proposing the many outreach organizations and diverse programs under the OLOS umbrella.
She is especially missed by those who found in her the education to become competent officers and received from her the support to make their groups effective. [3]

So important were her contributions to the world of diversity in librarianship, that in 1999 it was noted that the Smithsonian Institution accepted two items for its collection from Coleman's estate, including two Apache toy cradle boards, and a sand painting. [4]

Legacy

For background on the development of outreach services in U.S. libraries The evolution of library outreach 1960–75 [5] provides historical background in the context of the War on Poverty.

Jean Coleman's legacy is the evolving mission of the Office of Literacy and Outreach Services. This also includes the ideals of equity of access. Carla Hayden chose equity of access as her theme when she was American Library Association president (2003–04). A book written during Hayden's presidency, From outreach to equity: Innovative models of library policy and practice includes an introduction coauthored by Satia Marshall Orange (director, OLOS, 1997–2009). The book suggests reframing outreach based on equity rather than underserved populations. [6]

A report highlighting the work of OLOS was initiated by President Hayden, Rocks in the Whirlpool: Equity of Access and the American Library Association [7] which examined unifying visions for equity of access and making new technologies work for human development.

Satia Marshall Orange, 2019 lecturer, gave a history of the series in her presentation, "Backstories: Reflections of the Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture: 2000–2019". [8]

Lecture Series

Date Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach LecturerLecture Title
2023Ady Huertas, San Diego Public Library, Program Manager of Youth, Family, and Equity Services."Creando Enlaces y Abriendo Puertas: Creating connections and establishing trust to provide welcoming inclusive services for historically excluded communities." [9]
2022Jeanie Austin, Jail and reentry services librarian at the San Francisco Public Library. Author, Library Services and Incarceration. [10] "Creativity, Learning and Free Expression in Carceral Contexts." Panelists: Nicole Shawan Junior, Deputy Director of PEN America Prison and Justice Writing and Kurtis Tanaka, program manager for justice initiatives at Ithaka S+R. [11]
2021Aaron LaFromboise, Director, Library Services, Medicine Spring Library, Blackfeet Community College and community library/archives for the Blackfeet Nation."Mirroring Community in the Library: Growing momentum for Tribal libraries and Tribal librarianship." [12]
2020no Lecture
2019Satia Marshall Orange, director of American Library Association Office for Literacy and Outreach (OLOS) now the Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS).In 2022 ALA established an endowment honoring Orange. [13] "Backstories: Reflections of the Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture: 2000–2019" [14] [15]
2018no lecture
2017Janice Rice, retired Outreach Coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries. [16] “Visions of the Web: Indigenous Values, Voices and Literacy.”
2016Andrew P. Jackson (Sekou Molefi Baako), director emeritus of Queens Library Langston Hughes Community and Cultural Center. [17] Lecture on his extensive library outreach to schools, libraries, organizations, cultural institutions, correctional facilities, churches and academic arenas.
2015 Carla D. Hayden CEO, Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore. Hayden was named Librarian of Congress in 2016.For her efforts to keep the Library and its branches open and continually engaged with the community during the civil unrest in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray in April 2015.
2014Virginia Bradley Moore. Librarian at the Oxon Hill Branch Library in the Sojourner Truth Room, African American Research Collection of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System. [18] Creation of the Martin Luther King Jr. Sunrise Celebration at ALA Conferences. [19]
2013 Loriene Roy, Professor, University of Texas at Austin School of Information, President of the American Library AssociationSupporting literacy, promoting LIS education through an emphasis on practice, and establishing programs for workplace wellness.
2012 Carol A. Brey-Casiano, Director of libraries for El Paso, Texas, and president of the ALA.Library advocacy and outreach notably to Spanish-Speaking patrons. [20]
2011 Robert Wedgeworth, University Librarian and Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois; Former President and CEO, ProLiteracy Worldwide; Former Executive Director, American Library Association."Literacy in Libraries: Challenges and Opportunities. [21]
2010 Kathleen de la Peña McCook, Distinguished University Professor, University of South Florida, School of Information."Librarians and Human Rights." [22]
2009Kathleen Mayo, consultant to State Library and Archives of Florida, improving library programs for Florida's correctional, mental health, and developmental disabilities services."The Challenges and Opportunities of Serving America’s Elders."

[23]

2008 Clara Chu, proponent of multicultural librarianship. Director, Mortenson Center for International Library Programs "Dislocations of Multicultural Librarianship: A Critical Examination for a Liberatory Practice." " [24]
2007Anne Moore, Associate Director at University of Massachusetts-Amherst, later Dean of Library Affairs at Southern Illinois University and Stephen E. Stratton, Librarian at J.S. Broome Library,"Lies in the libraries: changing the image of gay and lesbian from abnormal to acceptance." [25]
2006Carla D. Hayden, CEO, Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, named Library Journal National Librarian of the Year in 1995.Hayden appointed Librarian of Congress in 2016."Access Agenda for All Libraries." [26]
2005 Sanford Berman, sought to correct biased headings in the Library of Congress Subject Headings, worked to ensure libraries work more with the poor and homeless, founded the ALA's Hunger, Homeless and Poverty Task Force."Classism in the Stacks: Libraries and Poverty." [27]
2004Richard Chabrán, chair, California Community Technology Policy Group (CCTPG), works to narrow the digital divide to schools and libraries in California. Sought to promote multicultural librarianship and assists libraries in serving low-income and underserved communities."Answering the Call: How the FCC’s Definition of Information Service Threatens the Future of Universal Service." [28]
2003Thelma H. Tate, Professor, Global Outreach Services Coordinator, New Brunswick Libraries, Rutgers University Libraries"Unserved and Underserved Populations: Empowering People for Productivity in the 21st Century." [29]
2002 Lotsee Patterson, founder, American Indian Library Association, Professor University of Oklahoma, Library and Information Studies."Indigenous Librarianship: A Global Perspective." [30]
2001Gary E. Strong, Director, Queens Borough Public Library, State Librarian for California, University Librarian for UCLA."Reading: Still Cool? Libraries, Literacy and Leadership." [31]
2000 Barbara J. Ford, Assistant Commissioner, Chicago Public Library, later Director, Mortenson Center for International Library Programs, President, American Library Association."Libraries, Literacy, Outreach and the Digital Divide." [32]

See also

Related Research Articles

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E. J. Josey</span> African-American librarian

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Wedgeworth</span> American librarian (born 1937)

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.

The American Indian Library Association (AILA) is an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), and is a membership action group that focuses on the library-related needs of Native Americans and Alaska Natives. The organization's members consist of both individuals and institutions that are interested in improving library services to Native American people in any type of library in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clara Stanton Jones</span> American librarian

Clara Stanton Jones was the first African-American president of the American Library Association, serving as its acting president from April 11 to July 22 in 1976 and then its president from July 22, 1976, to 1977. Also, in 1970 she became the first African American and the first woman to serve as director of a major library system in America, as director of the Detroit Public Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loriene Roy</span> American librarian from Texas

Loriene Roy is an American scholar of Indigenous librarianship, professor and librarian from Texas. She was the first Native American president of the American Library Association when she was inaugurated in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carla Hayden</span> American librarian and 14th Librarian of Congress (born 1952)

Carla Diane Hayden is an American librarian who is serving as the 14th librarian of Congress. Since the creation of the office of the librarian of Congress in 1802, Hayden is both the first African American and the first woman to hold this post. Appointed in 2016, she is the first professional librarian to hold the post since 1974.

Janet Suzuki was a Japanese-American librarian. Feeling that the needs of Asian American librarians were unrepresented and underserved by the American Library Association, she co-founded the Asian American Librarians Caucus (AALC) in 1975, with Henry Chang and Yen-Tsai Feng. The AALC was a discussion group within the ALA Office for Library Outreach Services, and was the first Asian-American library organization that served the pan Asian American librarian community. It was the predecessor to the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association.

Librarianship and human rights in the U.S. are linked by the philosophy and practice of library and information professionals supporting the rights enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), particularly the established rights to information, knowledge and free expression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice G. Smith Lecture</span>

The Alice G. Smith Lecture, established in 1989, is sponsored by the University of South Florida School of Information. The lecture is an annual recognition of a scholar or author whose achievements have been instrumental in the development of librarianship or information studies. The lecture series honors the memory of the School's first director, Alice Gullen Smith, known for her work with youth and bibliotherapy. The Lecture Fund was created with the purpose of memorializing the work of Smith, who was central to the School's first accreditation by the American Library Association in 1975. Florida Library Association archivist, Bernadette Storck has provided an oral history of the development of libraries in Tampa, Florida that details the contributions of Smith including her establishment of the Tampa Book Fair that encouraged thousands of children to foster a love for books and reading

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathleen de la Peña McCook</span> American librarian

Kathleen de la Peña McCook is a library scholar and librarian. Much of her work centers around human rights, First Amendment issues, and the freedom of information.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Courtney Young (librarian)</span> American librarian

Courtney Young is an American librarian and scholar, who served as the president of the American Library Association for the 2014–2015 year. On June 30, 2015, her term as ALA President ended, and she passed the title on to Sari Feldman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara J. Ford</span> American librarian

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.

Carol A. Brey-Casiano is an information resource officer, a librarian administrator and former president of the American Library Association.

Deborah D. Taylor is a librarian and coordinator of school and student services at Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland. In 2015, she received the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracie D. Hall</span> Librarian, author, and advocate for the arts

Tracie D. Hall is an American librarian, author, curator, and advocate for the arts who served as the executive director of the American Library Association from 2020 to 2023. Hall is the first African American woman to lead the association since its founding in 1876.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. P. Marshall</span> African American librarian, educator, and historian

Albert Prince Marshall was an American librarian and educator. He was the director of multiple academic libraries, including the libraries of Lincoln University and Eastern Michigan University. Marshall was an active participant in the civil rights movement, serving in a leadership role in a Missouri chapter of the NAACP. He worked to fight discrimination against African-Americans in librarianship and held several leadership roles in the profession, including as vice president of the American Library Association. Later in his life Marshall focused on documenting the history of Ypsilanti, Michigan's black community members, earning him the nickname "Mr. Ypsilanti".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Ellen Coleman</span> American librarian and literacy educator

Jean Ellen Coleman was an American librarian known for being the founding director of the American Library Association's Office for Library Outreach Services where she worked from 1973 to 1986. This Office was originally created as the Office of Library Service to the Disadvantaged in 1970—opening officially in 1973—and later became the Office for Library Outreach Services in 1980 and the Office for Literacy and Outreach Services in 1995. It has been known as the Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services since 2012.

Nicole Amy Cooke is an African-American librarian and the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair at the University of South Carolina. Her research focus on critical cultural information studies in libraries and her advocacy for social justice have earned recognition in the library profession.

References

  1. ↑ Lippincott, Kate, Comp.; and others. 25 Years of Outreach: A Bibliographic Timeline of the American Library Association, Office for Literacy and Outreach Services.. 1996. ERIC ED396755
  2. ↑ 2016. “Interview: Mary Ghikas on Merging the ALA Office For Diversity and the ALA Office For Literacy and Outreach Services.” SRRT Newsletter Social Responsibilities Round Table), no. 194 (March): 12.
  3. ↑ Jean Coleman Testimonial. Library Journal. May 1, 1987, p. 19.
  4. ↑ "Annals of the Smithsonian Institution 1999 National Collections Program". Internet Archive. 1994. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  5. ↑ Weibel, Kathleen. 1983. The evolution of library outreach 1960-75 and its effect on reader services: some considerations. [Champaign]: University of Illinois, Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
  6. ↑ Osborne, Robin. 2004. From outreach to equity innovative models of library policy and practice. Chicago: American Library Association.
  7. ↑ McCook, Kathleen de la Peña. 2002. Rocks in the Whirlpool: Equity of Access and the American Library Association ERIC ED462981
  8. ↑ Backstories: Reflections of the Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture.:2000-2019. Jean E. Coleman Outreach Lecture. American Library Association.
  9. ↑ Jean E. Coleman Lecturer announced for 2023 ALA Annual Conference. ALA News, May 25, 2023.
  10. ↑ Austin, Jeanie (2021). Library Services and Incarceration. American Library Association.
  11. ↑ 2022 Coleman Lecture - Dr. Jeanie Austin Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture. American Library Association.
  12. ↑ "Mirroring Community in the Library: Growing momentum for Tribal libraries and Tribal librarianship." American Library Association, 2021.
  13. ↑ New ALA endowment honoring Satia Marshall Orange to benefit Spectrum Scholarship Program ALA News. April 17, 2022.
  14. ↑ Satia Orange to deliver 2019 Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture ALA News, May 14, 2019.
  15. ↑ Backstories: Reflections of the Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture: 2000–2019 American Library Association, 2019.
  16. ↑ Janice Rice to deliver 2017 Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture American Library Association, May 9, 2017.
  17. ↑ Andrew P. Jackson to deliver 2016 Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture.American Library Association, April 26, 2016.
  18. ↑ Remembering Virginia "Ginny" Bradley Moore. American Library Association
  19. ↑ "Press Releases".
  20. ↑ Brey-Casiano to deliver 2012 Coleman Lecture. (2012, April 2).Retrieved from American Library Association website: http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2012/04/brey-casiano-deliver-2012-coleman-lecture
  21. ↑ "Literacy in Libraries: Challenges and Opportunities." American Library Association
  22. ↑ "Librarians and Human Rights"2010 Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture. American Library Association.
  23. ↑ "The Challenges and Opportunities of Serving America’s Elders."2009 Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture. American Library Association.
  24. ↑ Dislocations of Multicultural Librarianship: A Critical Examination for a Liberatory Practice."2008 Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture. American Library Association.
  25. ↑ "Lies in the libraries: changing the image of gay and lesbian from abnormal to acceptance." 2007 Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture. American Library Association.
  26. ↑ "Access Agenda for All Libraries." 2006 Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture. American Library Association.
  27. ↑ "Classism in the Stacks: Libraries and Poverty." 2005.Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture. American Library Association.
  28. ↑ "Answering the Call: How the FCC’s Definition of Information Service Threatens the Future of Universal Service."2004 Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture. American Library Association.
  29. ↑ "Unserved and Underserved Populations: Empowering People for Productivity in the 21st Century" 2003 Dr. Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture Abstract. American Library Association.
  30. ↑ "Indigenous Librarianship: A Global Perspective." 2002 Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture.
  31. ↑ "Reading: Still Cool? Libraries, Literacy and Leadership." 2001 Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture. American Library Association.
  32. ↑ "Libraries, Literacy, Outreach and the Digital Divide." 2000 Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture. American Library Association.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.