Celebrating the James A. Partridge Award ― Diversity, Leadership, and African American Information Professionals

Celebrating the James A. Partridge Outstanding African American Information Professional Award the authors examine issues of race, inclusion, diversity, and justice in the field of library and information science. The award recognizes information professionals who exemplify the highest ideals of the profession, and it is part of a long-running series of efforts that have been made to promote diversity and inclusion in the field. Many of the living winners of the award share their thoughts and personal experiences about race and the development of the field of library and information science. Their insights are complimented by the writings of other scholars, educators, and practitioners who study, teach about, and experience issues of race in the field firsthand. Issues of race are addressed from the perspective of different backgrounds, as well as intersectionalities with other identities, such as gender, immigration, and orientation. The explorations by the authors at their various institutions – including libraries, universities, and government agencies – to promote diversity and inclusion catalogue a wide range of ideas, practices and lessons learned.

Diane L. Barlow, Affiliate Faculty, iSchool, University of Maryland, College Park, recently retired from active employment at the University of Maryland, where she served as Associate Dean until 2011. In that position, she assisted Ann Prentice in planning the Outstanding African American Information Professional Award, now known as the James Partridge Award. Her areas of expertise include education for the information professions, curriculum development, and management. In addition to this book, she is currently a member of the Lilead Project team and is working on a book related to school libraries in the United States. She is Executive Director of Citizens for Maryland Libraries, a state-wide advocacy group that works for libraries of all types. Paul T. Jaeger, Professor, Diversity Officer, and Director of the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program of the College of Information Studies and Co-Director of the Information Policy and Access Center (iPAC) at the University of Maryland, Ph.D., J.D., in his teaching and research, focuses on the ways in which law and public policy shape information behavior, with a specific focus on issues of human rights and social justice. He is the author of more than 160 journal articles and book chapters, as well as more than a dozen books. His research has been funded by the Institute of Museum & Library Services, the National Science Foundation, the American Library Association, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others. Dr. Jaeger is Editor of Library Quarterly and Co-Editor of Advances in Librarianship, and Associate Editor of the International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion. He is founder and chair of the Conference on Inclusion and Diversity in Library and Information Science (CIDLIS), and co-chaired the first UMD Disability Summit in 2016. In 2014, he received the Library Journal/ALISE Excellence in Education Award, the international educator of the year award for the field of library and information science.