E. J. JoseyProfessor EmeritusUniversity of PittsburghSchool of Information Sciences Department of Library and Information Science
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Active in the field of human rights, he is a life member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and served as President of Albany, New York Branch from 1982-86. He also served as President of the Albany Branch of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. Active in community affairs, he has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Albany County Opportunity, Inc., the local anti-poverty agency for four years.
A member of the American Library Association for 48 years, at the 1964 annual conference, he authored the resolution forbidding Association officers and staff from participating in state associations that deny membership to black librarians. This action led to the integration of the library association of several Southern states, and he became the first black librarian to be accepted as a member of the Georgia Library Association. He was first elected to the ALA Council, the policy making body of the Association in 1970 and served until the summer of 2000, a period of 29 years. In 1979, he was elected to a four-year term on the ALA Executive Board.
From 1980-82, he served as Chair of the Cultural Minorities Task Force of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. Having served on numerous ALA Committees, he chaired the ALA Committee on Pay Equity, the ALA Committee on Legislation, and the ALA International Relations Committee several times. He served as President of ALA in 1984-85.
In the spring of 1987, he was elected to a 4-year term on the Board of Directors of the Freedom to Read Foundation and chaired the ALA International Relations Committee from 1987 to 1990. From 1990 to 1994 he served as the Chair of the ALA Legislation Committee. He returned to chair the ALA International Relations Committee for the next two years. In May and June, 1987, Professor Josey lectured in three African countries, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and Zambia under the auspices of the United States Information Agency.
During the early 1960's, he participated in the Civil Rights struggle in Savannah (see The Black Librarian in America, pp. 308-11). He served on the Executive Board of the Savannah Branch of the NAACP as well as the Executive Board of the Albany, NY Branch of the NAACP.
In 1964 he carried the Civil Rights struggle into the American Library Association. In spite of the 1954 United States Supreme Court decision, which encouraged desegregation of libraries and ALA chapters, the ALA was slow in implementing integration of all of its southern chapters until E.J.Josey offered his resolution at the 1964 Conference which prevented ALA officers and staff members from attending segregated state chapter meetings. The four remaining segregated chapters that denied membership to African American librarians at that time were Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi; and they integrated immediately. He is well known for his uncompromising opposition to any form of discrimination whether it is racial, gender, age or sexual orientation.
Under his leadership, the Savannah State University Library received the 1962 and 1964 John Cotton Dana Award.
In 1967, he returned to Savannah State University to be honored with the Savannah State University Award.
In 1980, he received the American Library Association's most coveted award, the Joseph W. Lippincott Award. The citation of the award read in part:
"his fervent advocacy was a major factor in eradicating racial discrimination from many library facilities and services, and from a number of professional associations. As founder of the Black Caucus in ALA, and as its leader throughout the group's formative years, he gave a new strength, unity, purpose and hope to many minority members of our profession."
He has received a number of awards from the NAACP. In 1965, he received the NAACP National Office Award for Work with Youth. In 1966, he received the Georgia NAACP Conference Award. In 1983 and in 1986, he was honored bv an award from the Albany Board of the NAACP.
On May 1, 1981, he received the first annual Award for Distinguished Service in Librarianship from the School of Library and Information Science, State University of New York at Albany.
On November 10, 1982, he received the Library Association of the City University of New York Award for his outstanding contribution to American Librarianship and for his support of Libraries and Librarians of the City University of New York.
In 1984, he received the following awards: Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Distinguished Community Leadership, SUNY, Albany; District of Columbia Association of School Librarians Award for Contributions to Librarianship; Award from the New Jersey Black Librarians Network; African Library Award from the Kenya Library Association; Award for Contribution to International Librarianship from the Afro-Caribbean Library Association, England, and in 1985 Honorary Membership in the Virgin Islands Library Association was bestowed upon him.
In 1985, for his contribution to the Profession and his leadership as ALA President, a Capital Tribute was presented in Washington, D.C., by Congressman Major Owens and the Congressional Black Caucus Brain Trust; New York State Legislative Resolution; Ohio House of Representatives Resolution; and a U.S. Congressional Resolution.
In 1986 he received the New York Library Association Award for significant contributions to special populations in New York State.
In 1991, the American Library Association bestowed upon him its ALA Equality Award.
In 1996, the American Library Association honored him at its 50th Anniversary of the ALA Washington Office for his contribution to the Legislative Program. The Pennsylvania Library Association honored him with its Distinguished Service Award.
In 1998, Forest Press and OCLC bestowed upon him the John Ames Humphrey Award, "in recognition of significant contributions to international librarianship."
In 2002, the American Library Association bestowed upon him its highest award, Honorary Membership in the Association.
Upon his retirement from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Information Science in 1995, he was named Professor Emeritus and a scholarship was named in his behalf: E. J. Josey Endowment Scholarship for Minorities. This scholarship is awarded annually to an enrolled African American graduate student in the Department of Library & Information Science who demonstrates potential for academic excellence and leadership in the profession.
The author of more than 400 articles in library, educational, and history journals, he has also authored and edited twelve books in the field of library science which include:
In 1973, Shaw University conferred on him an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Human Letters, (D.H.L.). The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee conferred the Doctor of Public Services (D.P.L.) Honoris Causa on May 16, 1987, North Carolina Central University honored him with the Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa on September 29, 1989, and Clark Atlanta University bestowed upon him the Doctor of Letters Degree (D.Litt.) on May 22, 1995. Clarion University of Pennsylvania honored him with the Doctor of Humane Letters(D.H.L.) on December 15, 2001.
In September, 1992 a festschrift, E. J. Josey: An Activist Librarian, Scarecrow Press, edited by Ismail Abdullahi, was published in his honor.
He has taught a number of courses in the Department of Library and Information Sciences, University of Pittsburgh including:
"The information industry has the technology to control information, but its price tag on information distribution and its profit goal create a bias in what information is made available and how it is dispensed. Only the nonprofit organization, the library, dedicated to a total community service goal with trained experts, librarians, running the operation can provide the full scope of information for the total population in a fair and objective manner."
-- E. J. Josey from his Inaugural Address as President of ALA in June 1984.
In the early 1960s, E. J. Josey was on the front lines of the civil rights movement. He helped desegregate stores in Savannah, Georgia, and later led a successful struggle that eventually resulted in the integration of Southern libraries.
Now, more than 40 years later, the professor emeritus in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh continues to act out of a commitment to civil rights, professional integration, and higher education.
Dr. Josey is benefactor, mentor, and role model to students. Author of 12 books and 300 articles, he has been the president of the American Library Association (ALA) and founded its Black Caucus. One of the feats he said he is proudest of occurred in 1964 when he urged the ALA to not recognize four southern state library associations that denied memberships to African-Americans. As president of the ALA, he established the Pay Equity Commission, which ensured equal compensation for male and female librarians.
An outspoken advocate for the eradication of racial bias from library systems and professional organizations, Josey said there is a dire need for more people of color to enter the profession of library science. If they do not, our multicultural society will not have enough librarians of color to serve groups which are becoming the majority in America. Josey served as a part of a team that drafted the Library Service and Technology Act. This piece of legislation mandates installation of new technology in libraries, thereby enabling more individuals to surf the information super-highway.
Dr. Josey's lengthy list of awards includes five honorary degrees noted above and a resolution from the US Congress recognizing his achievements. He is also the recipient of the ALA Equality Award and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Distinguished Community Leadership. In 1996, E. J. Josey's name was included on the American Library Association's 50th Anniversary Honor Roll in recognition of his fund-raising and lobbying efforts on behalf of the nation's 116,000-plus libraries. In 1999, at the ALA Midwinter Meeting, Dr. Josey was honored for his contribution to Intellectual Freedom on the occasion of the Celebration of the 30th anniversary of The Office of Intellectual Freedom.