E. J. Josey and Marva DeLoach have compiled a treasure trove of information about black librarianship. This volume includes history, statistics, and documentation of contemporary issues related both to African American participation in librarianship and to the organizations that they built to provide information resources for their people. Of interest to all librarians, bibliophiles, bibliographers, and students of American culture, this handbook fills a niche in American cultural history. Like the first edition, published in 1977, this new edition chronicles the history and achievements of black librarians in their chosen profession. Chapters documenting pioneering individuals and events are juxtaposed with historical descriptions of early professional organizations. Other sections provide important information related to diversity, including the language of diversity and salient statistical facts about African American librarians. New or revised chapters treat issues related to information technology and electronic resources, library services to African Americans, and library education. Of special interest is the section on African American resources, which covers archival and fugitive literature, library holdings, literature, oral history programs, and museums, with several chapters on awards. A complete section is devoted to the important issue of health sciences libraries and blacks. Another new section covers libraries, library education, and publishing in Africa. The final section highlights the role of African Americans in selected areas of the knowledge industry.
About the Author: E. J. Josey is Professor Emeritus, Department of Library and Information Science, School of Information Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has been honored with awards and honorary degrees from institutions worldwide, including the Lippincott Award, the Equality Award, and the John Ames Humphry/OCLC Forest Press Award for Distinguished Service to International Relations and Librarianship by the ALA International Relations Committee. He has been president of the American Library Association, and is a life member of that organization. Marva DeLoach (Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh, M.S.L.S. Atlanta University, B.S. Savannah State College) is Librarian and Instructor at Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA. She also serves as Adjunct Professor at San Jose State University, San Jose, CA. She has been an independent library consultant and has managed technical services and reference services in both public and academic libraries. She has lectured widely on intellectual freedom and equity in information services and serves on the advisory board of the Journal of Information Ethics. Her many awards include the Special Recognition Award of the Black Caucus of ALA (BCALA), Distinguished Service and Councilor (ALA) and Exceptional Merit Recognition (ISU). This is not the first collaboration between Josey and DeLoach--in 1983 they published Ethnic Collections in Libraries.