The John Sessions Memorial Award is presented annually by the Reference and User Services Association of the American Library Association. [1] It recognizes a library or library system which has made a significant effort to work with the labor community and by doing so has brought recognition to the history and contribution of the labor movement to the development of the United States. [2] John Sessions of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) was co-chair of the AFL-CIO/ ALA Joint Committee on Library Service to Labor Groups.
John Sessions Memorial Award
Walter Philip Reuther was an American leader of organized labor and civil rights activist who built the United Automobile Workers (UAW) into one of the most progressive labor unions in American history. He considered labor movements not as narrow special interest groups but as instruments to advance social justice and human rights in democratic societies. He leveraged the UAW's resources and influence to advocate for workers' rights, civil rights, women's rights, universal health care, public education, affordable housing, environmental stewardship and nuclear nonproliferation around the world. He believed in Swedish-style social democracy and societal change through nonviolent civil disobedience. He cofounded the AFL-CIO in 1955 with George Meany. He survived two attempted assassinations, including one at home where he was struck by a 12-gauge shotgun blast fired through his kitchen window. He was the fourth and longest serving president of the UAW, serving from 1946 until his death in 1970.
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing almost 1.9 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States and Canada. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: healthcare, including hospital, home care and nursing home workers; public services ; and property services.
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.
William George Meany was an American labor union administrator for 57 years. He was important for the creation of the AFL–CIO and served as the AFL–CIO's first president, from 1955 to 1979.
Douglas Andrew Fraser was a Scottish–American union leader. He was president of the United Auto Workers from 1977 to 1983 and an adjunct professor of labor relations at Wayne State University for many years.
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.
The UAA/APU Consortium Library is a joint library serving the University of Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Pacific University, established in 1973 and refurbished in 2004. According to self-reported statistics from 2016, the library has approximately 728,000 volumes on site and averages 12,000 visitors per week during the academic year. The library has the furthest north permanent Foucault pendulum in North America.
The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) is a division of the American Library Association.
The Wirtz Labor Library is the library of the U.S. Department of Labor. It provides Department of Labor employees and members of the general public with access to both historically significant and current resources pertaining to labor. It is located in the Frances Perkins Building in Washington, D.C.
The Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, located on the campus of Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, contains millions of primary source documents related to the labor history of the United States, urban affairs, and the Wayne State University Archives. The building is named for UAW President and Congress of Industrial Organizations President Walter Reuther.
The Labor Archives of Washington is a special collection at the University of Washington Libraries dedicated to preserving documents from the labor movement in Washington state.
Ruth Anna Marie Schmidt was an American geologist and paleontologist who was a pioneer for women scientists. She spent most of her career in Alaska, where she established a United States Geological Survey (USGS) field office and established the first Department of Geology at the Anchorage Community College, now part of the University of Alaska Anchorage. In 1964, Schmidt directed the initial assessment of the damage done to the city of Anchorage by the Great Alaska Earthquake, the largest earthquake in North American history, and the second largest earthquake ever to be recorded. She worked for the USGS in Washington, DC during the era of McCarthyism and was investigated twice for disloyalty because of her membership in the interracial Washington Cooperative Bookshop. She was cleared both times. She earned a number of awards, honors, and letters of commendation and appreciation. After her death in 2014, she was recognized as a philanthropist.
Lucile M. Morsch was an American librarian who served as president of the American Library Association from 1957 to 1958. Morsch also worked as the Deputy Chief Assistant Librarian of Congress from 1953 to 1962.
Charles Harvey Brown was an American librarian and leader in the American Library Association. He received a bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University in 1897 and a master's degree in 1899. He went on to receive a second bachelor's degree in Library Science at the New York State Library School in 1901. He later received a Literary Doctorate from Wesleyan University in 1937. He worked at Wesleyan University from 1897 to 1899 and the Library of Congress from 1901 to 1903. Brown worked for the John Crerar Library from 1903 to 1909 and the Brooklyn Public Library from 1909 to 1919.
Daniel Joseph Leab was an American historian of 20th-century history. He made significant academic contributions to fields of American labor unions and anti-Communism. He was long-time editor of three journals and magazines.
The Library Services Act (LSA) was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1956. Its purpose was to promote the development of public libraries in rural areas through federal funding. It was passed by the 84th United States Congress as the H.R. 2840 bill, which the 34th President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law on June 19, 1956.
The Roddenbery Memorial Library (RML) is a single-branch public library system serving the county of Grady, located in the U.S.state of Georgia. The library is located in Cairo, Georgia.
Genie Chance was an American journalist, radio broadcaster, and Alaska state politician. She is most well-known for her coverage of the 1964 Alaska earthquake, which netted her numerous journalism awards, and for her contributions to Alaska legislation.
Jack Barbash (1910–1994) was a labor economist best known for helping negotiate the merger of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) back into the American Federation of Labor (AFL) to form the AFL–CIO in 1955.