Category: Librarian Spotlight

Librarianship Under McCarthy: Mary Knowles’ Experience During the Red Scare

Posted on by Logan Mullins

In the spring of 1953, Mary Knowles was fired from her position at the South Norwood Branch Library outside of Boston. Previously, Knowles had been called before the United States’ Senate Internal Security Subcommittee (SISS) and questioned about alleged communist activities during her 1945-1947 tenure at the Samuel Adams School for Social Studies, an institution on the US Attorney General’s list of subversive organizations.[1] Knowles invoked her fifth amendment right and refused to answer the subcommittee’s questions; although no action was taken against her by SISS, the South Norwood Branch Library terminated Knowles’ employment due to her refusal to testify.[2]

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ALA Hidden Figures: Carrie Robinson

Posted on by Ella McDonald

On May 14, 1969, Carrie Coleman Robinson, a Black school librarian in Alabama, brought a landmark case to the US District Court. After being passed over for a promotion, Robinson sued Alabama’s Department of Education alleging that she had been denied equal protection as a department employee because of her race. Robinson’s case, and long career as a librarian, reveals much about the Jim Crow South and librarianship in the civil rights era.

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Herb and Mary Biblo: “A Very Active Husband and Wife Team in Librarianship”

Posted on by Cara Bertram

Despite missing Valentine’s Day, the ALA Archives can’t let the month of February go by without talking about Mary and Herbert “Herb” Biblo, one of the great couples in American Library Association history. Between the two of them, they contributed decades of service to ALA and established themselves as advocates for social justice within the association and the profession of librarianship. In an interview with Herb, Art Friedman, a friend, succinctly and accurately, summed Herb and Mary up as “a very active husband and wife team in librarianship.”

Herb and Mary Biblo sitting at a table.
Herb and Mary Biblo at the Council meeting during the 2001 ALA Annual Conference.

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Henry and Edith Carr, ALA’s Golden Couple

Posted on by Deborah Walters

Henry and Edith Carr pose for a photo ca. 1910, in fancy dress.

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, the ALA Archives can’t help but think of love. The spirit of the holiday compels us to remember possibly the most famous ALA couple of all time, Henry and Edith Wallbridge Carr. Married for 43 years and active in the American Library Association for even longer, the Carrs were well-known within the library community of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Where did the romance of these two librarians begin? At an ALA conference, of course!

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Harry Clemons: The ALA in Siberia

Posted on by Cara Bertram
Harry Clemons signature.

During World War I, most ALA operated libraries were stationed in US based military camps. However, a small number of librarians were sent overseas to help distribute books and run libraries. Harry Clemons was one such librarian.

In November 1918, M. L. Raney, director of the Library War Service’s overseas service, sent a cable message to Professor Harry Clemons with a simple question, “Will you accept appointment [of] official representative [of the] American Library Association … to develop library service for American forces in Russia? Books being shipped steadily.”

Clemons replied, “Will attempt library service starting when you direct.” Continue reading “Harry Clemons: The ALA in Siberia” →

It Runs in the Family

Posted on by Cara Bertram

This month saw the passing of Satia Marshall Orange, former director of what is now ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS). I had the good fortune to meet Orange early in my career, back in 2015, when she donated her father’s papers to the University of Illinois Archives. The then Assistant University Archivist, Chris Prom, planned to make the trip up to Chicago to see Orange and review her father’s papers. I asked to tag along as the ALA Archivist after hearing that Orange was a retired ALA staff member and that her late father was a librarian. She welcomed both of us into her home and was delighted to look through her father’s papers with us, share family stories, and was eager to preserve the legacy of her family.

Ruthe and A.P. Marshall with their daughter, Satia Marshall Orange, at the 1992 National Conference of African American Librarians.

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Eldon Ray James Oral History

Posted on by Ren Parks

Starting early this fall, as the ALA Archives Graduate Assistant, I had the privilege of transcribing the oral history of Eldon Ray James, retired librarian, formerly incarcerated person, and advocate for the rights of incarcerated people. After transcribing over three hours of dialogue between Ray James and Deputy County Librarian at the Alameda County Library, Deb Sica, I believe I just got paid to listen to the most interesting story I’ve ever heard.

Ray James, before becoming a figurehead in the movement to secure information access for incarcerated people in the United States, served in Germany during the Vietnam War, ran for office in the Colorado House of Representatives, won awards for his amazing journalism in multiple publications, and was reportedly a part of the (unconfirmed) first interracial double date in Baylor University history. He did all of this before being sentenced to 70 months in prison for aiding in the distribution of cocaine and methamphetamines. Continue reading “Eldon Ray James Oral History” →

The Rabbits’ Wedding: Emily W. Reed and the Freedom to Read

Posted on by Cara Bertram
Black and white portrait of Emily Wheelock Reed
Emily Wheelock Reed

The Rabbits’ Wedding, by Garth Williams, is a children’s book about two rabbits getting married in a forest. While there doesn’t seem to be much to object about the book, in 1959, Alabama State Senator E.O. Eddins wanted it removed from Alabama public libraries. The reason was because the rabbits in the story were of different fur colors, black and white, and he viewed it as “integration propaganda.”

Emily Wheelock Reed, the Director of the Public Library Service Division of Alabama, met with Eddins and the Alabama State Senate Interim Taxation Committee to discuss the upcoming budget in March of 1959. Eddins, however, wanted to speak about several books in the public libraries that he thought dealt with segregation and communism. Reed deflected, but she was confronted by Eddins again several months later and he demanded The Rabbits’ Wedding be removed from the libraries. Reed refused to abide by his demands [1]. Continue reading “The Rabbits’ Wedding: Emily W. Reed and the Freedom to Read” →

Charles R. Green at Camp Johnston: “We Can Find Such a Man”

Posted on by Cara Bertram
Librarian standing in the Camp Johnston Library.
Librarian standing in the reading room of the Camp Johnston Library.

During the summer of 1918, Charles Green, a librarian from the Massachusetts Agriculture College, served as the Acting Librarian for Camp Johnston in Jacksonville, Florida. While his tenure was brief, the Charles R. Green Papers in the ALA Archives reveal Green’s rapid appointment and promotion. It also shows how quickly circumstances could change within the ALA’s Library War Service and the adaptability of its volunteers. 

Camp Johnston presented unique challenges for a librarian. Not only was it a large base, but it was also a school that taught technical, engineering, and scientific subjects to servicemembers. These challenges led the camp’s librarian, L.W. Josselyn, to send a distressed letter to ALA. His letter from May 18, 1918, opened with, “A crisis has come in the work here which will have to be met within the next ten days at the very latest. I shall try to put the whole problem before you. Continue reading “Charles R. Green at Camp Johnston: “We Can Find Such a Man”” →

Elizabeth Martinez, ALA Executive Director

Posted on by Faith McConnon
Portrait of Elizabeth Martinez, 1995
Portrait of ALA Executive Director Elizabeth Martinez
Found in 12/1/4, Box 2, Folder: Martinez, Elizabeth, 1995-97

Who was one of the first Mexican American librarians in California? Who was one of the co-founders of REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking? Who was the first Mexican American women to hold the office of ALA Executive Director? If you answered, “Elizabeth Martinez,” you’d be correct!

Elizabeth Martinez was born on April 14, 1943 in Pomona, California. Growing up in Orange County, she always wanted to promote cultural understanding no matter what field she worked in. Martinez didn’t originally focus on working in libraries, but they held a special place in her heart since she was a child, as she often went to her local public library. However, while pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies at UCLA, she took a course in children’s literature to fulfill a credit. This course opened her eyes to the world of librarianship and her goal was set. She then graduated from the University of Southern California with a Master’s in Library and Information Science in 1966, becoming one of California’s first Mexican American librarians.[1]

 

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