African American Officers of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL)

The first African American president of the American Association of Law Libraries was Carol Avery Nicholson.

Sources: Rush, Mila. "Firsts in Academic Law Libraries." American Association of Law Libraries. AALL-SIS, 22 Sept. 2006. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. ; "TS-SIS Long Time Member Profile: Carol Avery Nicholson." American Association of Law Libraries. AALL-Technical Services Special Interest Section, 4 Oct. 2006. Web. 29 Aug. 2012.
 

Ruth Johnson Hill was the first African American to serve as chair for the American Association of Law Libraries – Academic Libraries Special Interest Section. She was also the first African American to chair the organization’s Council of Special Interest Section Chairs.

Sources: Rush, Mila. "Firsts in Academic Law Libraries." American Association of Law Libraries. AALL-SIS, 22 Sept. 2006. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. ; "ALL-SIS Officers and Committees 2001-2002." American Association of Law Libraries. ALL-SIS, 17 June 2002. Web. 26 Jan. 2011.

Allen Mercer Daniel, the first law librarian of Howard University (1940-1956), was also the first African American member of the American Association of Law Libraries.

Sources: Berry, Cynthia. "Allen Mercer Daniel: A Leader in Librarianship." AALL Spectrum 4 (2000): 12. Print. ; Centennial Committee of the Academic Law Libraries Special Interest Section. "Firsts in Academic Law Libraries." American Association of Law Libraries - Academic Law Libraries Special Interest Section. American Association of Law Libraries, 22 Sept. 2006. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. ; "Daniel Online Resource Guide." Howard University School of Law Library. Howard University School of Law Library, 6 Oct. 2010. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. ; "Introducing the AALL Hall of Fame." AALL Spectrum Jul. 2010: 14. Print.

Judy Dimes-Smith was the first African American elected to the American Association of Law Libraries Executive Board.

Sources: Centennial Committee of the Academic Law Libraries Special Interest Section. "Firsts in Academic Law Libraries." American Association of Law Libraries - Academic Law Libraries Special Interest Section. American Association of Law Libraries, 22 Sept. 2006. Web. 28 Sept. 2010. ; "Memorials: Judy Barbara Dimes-Smith." Law Library Journal 86 (1994): 373-374. Print. ; Howland, Joan S. "Focus on Diversity : Diversity Deferred." Law Library Journal 90 (1998): 561. Print. ; Dimes-Smith, Judy. "Law Librarianship: An African-American Perspective." Law Library Lights 35 (1992): 4. Print.

Purdue University Black Cultural Center (West Lafayette, Indiana)

The Purdue University Black Cultural Center was established on the campus of Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana) in 1969. Arthur J. Bond, one of the founders of the National Society of Black Engineers, helped found the center. The Purdue Black Cultural Center was created to serve the university’s African and African American students. The Indiana Black Librarians Network, an affiliate chapter of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), was organized on October 31, 2001 at the center.

See related posts: Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center at Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana) ; The Indiana Black Librarians Network (IBLN): Empowering Indiana's African American Librarians and Paraprofessionals.
 

Sources: "...Or the Fire Next Time: A Timeline of African American History at Purdue." Purdue University Libraries, Archives, and Collections. West Lafayette: Purdue U, 2010. 3. PDF file. ; "Arthur J. Bond." Our People - Purdue Engineering. Purdue University, 2011. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. ; "About Us." Purdue University Black Cultural Center. Purdue University, 2009. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. ; "About Us." Indiana Black Librarians Network. Indiana Black Librarians Network, n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2011.

Mary Louise Lambert Pickett and the Milwaukee Public Library (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

Mary Louise Lambert Pickett (1919-1979) was the first African American librarian hired by the Milwaukee Public Library. Ms. Pickett began her tenure at the Milwaukee Public Library on July 1, 1946. Previously, Ms. Pickett worked at the Chicago Public Library (1945-1946) and at Dillard University (1942-1943). She received her Master of Library Science (MLS) from the University of Chicago in 1944. Ms. Pickett was a member of Delta Sigma Theta, the Wisconsin Library Association, the NAACP, and the Young Adult Services Division of the American Library Association. She passed away in 1979.

*Note: The Young Adult Services Division (YASD) of the American Library Association is now the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

Sources: Milwaukee Public Library ; Grant, George, comp. "Pickett, Mary Louise Lambert." The Directory of Ethnic Professionals in LIS. Winter Park: Four-G Publishers, 1991. 179-180. Print. ; "Mary L. Pickett." Wisconsin Death Index, 1959-1997. FamilySearch.org., n.d. Web. 10 Aug. 2014.

African American Presidents of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)

The first African American man to become president of ACRL was Joseph H. Reason (1971-1972).

Sources: Jordan, Casper Leroy and E.J. Josey. “A Chronology of Events in Black Librarianship.” Handbook of Black Librarianship. Ed. E.J. Josey and Marva L. DeLoach. 2nd ed. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2000. 10. Print. ; “ACRL History: ACRL Presidents (beginning with 1938).” ACRL. American Library Association, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2011. ; A Directory of Negro Graduates of Accredited Library Schools, 1900-1936. Washington: Columbia Civic Library Association, 1937. 19. Print. ; Ellis, Elizabeth G. “The Southeastern Black Academic Librarian.” The Black Librarian in the Southeast: Reminiscences, Activities, Challenges. Durham: NCCU School of Library Science, 1980. 179. Print. ; Davis, Mary Ellen K. and Mary Jane Petrowski. "Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)." Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, Vol. 1. Ed. Marcia J. Bates and Mary Niles Maack. 3rd ed. Boca Raton : CRC Press, 2010. 372. Print. ; Jefferson, Julius C. “The Black Male Librarian: An Endangered Species.” The National Diversity in Libraries Conference. Louisville Marriott Downtown, Louisville, KY. 3 Oct. 2008. Pdf.


The first African American woman to become president of ACRL was Louise Giles (1975-1976).

Sources: Jordan, Casper Leroy and E.J. Josey. “A Chronology of Events in Black Librarianship.” Handbook of Black Librarianship. Ed. E.J. Josey and Marva L. DeLoach. 2nd ed. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2000. 12. Print. ; “ACRL History: ACRL Presidents (beginning with 1938).” ACRL. American Library Association, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2011. ; Davis, Mary Ellen K. and Mary Jane Petrowski. "Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)." Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, Vol. 1. Ed. Marcia J. Bates and Mary Niles Maack. 3rd ed. Boca Raton : CRC Press, 2010. 372. Print.

Update 7/27/2020:

Other African American presidents of ACRL:

Tyrone Cannon, 2003-2004

Trevor Dawes, 2013-2014

Jon Cawthorne, 2020-2021

Sources: Davis, Mary Ellen. "Cawthorne Elected ACRL Vice-President/President-Elect." ALA News.  American Library Association, 11 Apr. 2019. Web. 27 Jul. 2020. ; Wurm, Jill. "School of Information Science Dean Elected President of the Association of College and Research Libraries." News and Announcements. Wayne State University, School of Information Science, 23 Jul. 2020. Web. 27 Jul. 2020. ; “ACRL History: ACRL Presidents (beginning with 1938).” ACRL. American Library Association, n.d. Web. 27 Jul. 2020.