A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library, providing access to information and sometimes social or technical programming to users. In addition, librarians provide instruction on information literacy to users.
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, with more than 57,000 members.
Judith Fingeret Krug was an American librarian, freedom of speech proponent, and critic of censorship. Krug became director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom at the American Library Association in 1967. In 1969, she joined the Freedom to Read Foundation as its executive director. Krug co-founded Banned Books Week in 1982.
Camila Alire is an American Librarian and was President of the American Library Association from 2009–2010. She was President of REFORMA, National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking, in 1993-1994.
Library science is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and other areas to libraries; the collection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information resources; and the political economy of information. Martin Schrettinger, a Bavarian librarian, coined the discipline within his work (1808–1828) Versuch eines vollständigen Lehrbuchs der Bibliothek-Wissenschaft oder Anleitung zur vollkommenen Geschäftsführung eines Bibliothekars. Rather than classifying information based on nature-oriented elements, as was previously done in his Bavarian library, Schrettinger organized books in alphabetical order. The first American school for library science was founded by Melvil Dewey at Columbia University in 1887.
Theresa West Elmendorf was a prominent American librarian of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. In 1911 she became the first female president of the American Library Association.
Lucia M. Gonzalez is an Award-winning children's author and librarian. In 2020 she was elected as president of the Association for Library Service to Children of the American Library Association. She was president of REFORMA in 2010-2011.
Frances Lander Spain was a children's librarian and an instructor of school library services. In 1960, she became the first children's librarian to ever hold the position of president of the American Library Association (ALA). Spain was named one of the library's "100 Most Important Leaders We Had in the 20th Century."
Carla Diane Hayden is an American librarian and the 14th Librarian of Congress. Hayden is the first woman and the first African American to hold the post. She is the first professional librarian appointed to the post in over 60 years.
The Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture presented at the annual conference of the American Library Association 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 American Library Association, 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. 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).
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.
John W. Berry is an American librarian. Berry served as president of the American Library Association from 2001 to 2002, leading the profession's response to the Children's Internet Protection Act.
Walter Lewis Brown was an American librarian. Brown served as President of the American Library Association from 1916 to 1917. Brown was instrumental in establishing a public library in Buffalo, New York, now the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. Brown led the American Library Association at the beginning of the first World War. In that role, Brown initiated a partnership between the American Library Association and the Library of Congress to create the ALA War Service Committee.
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.
Carol Anmuth Nemeyer was an American librarian and President of the American Library Association from 1982 to 1983. She was born Carol Anmuth and married Lieutenant Commander Sheldon Nemeyer on September 23, 1950.
Sari Feldman is an American librarian. Sari was president of the American Library Association (ALA) from 2015 to 2016. During her presidency, she launched the Libraries Transform public awareness campaign that increased funding support for libraries and sought to advance information policy.
Loida Garcia-Febo is a Puerto Rican American librarian and library consultant. Garcia-Febo serves on the Governing Board of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) 2013-2015 and 2015-2017 and she is a member of the Executive Board of the American Library Association. She was President of the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA) from 2009-2010. Garcia-Febo is the President of Information New Wave, an international charity seeking to enhance the education of minority groups in the USA and in developing countries. She was a candidate in the 2017 election for President of the American Library Association. In April 2017, she was elected president-elect of the American Library Association 2018–2019.
Maureen Sullivan is an American librarian, educator, and organizational consultant who served as the president of the American Library Association from 2012 to 2013.
Molly Horst Raphael is an American librarian. From 2011 to 2012, she was president of the American Library Association. In 2009, she won the Arthur Flemming Civil Rights award.
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.
