Breaking Glass Ceilings: Clara Stanton Jones and the Detroit Public Library - Hardcover

by Renate L. Chancellor (Author)

This book tells the story of Clara Stanton Jones, the first woman to direct a major public library system in the United States and the first African American president of the ALA. After being appointed as Director of the Detroit Public Library in 1944, Jones transformed libraries everywhere. She focused on community and worked to desegregate libraries, library services, and overall library culture by encouraging the American Library Association to pass the Resolution on Racism and Sexism Awareness. In addition to being the first Black to be president of the ALA, Jones was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. She was a member of the Public Library Association, American Civil Liberties Union, National Council of Negro Women, and more.

Author Biography

Renate Chancellor is Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility at the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University. She received her Master's and Ph.D. in Information Studies from UCLA. Dr. Chancellor is affiliated faculty at the Syracuse Lender Center for Social Justice. She has published widely on critical cultural information studies, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), and social justice in Library and Information Science. Her first book, E.J. Josey: Transformational Leader in the Modern Library Profession was published in 2020. She serves on the editorial boards of Library Quarterly and Education for Information. She also serves on the American Library Association's Publishing Committee. Dr. Chancellor received the Association for Library and Information Science Education's (ALISE) Excellence in Teaching Award in 2014 and was recipient of the ALISE Norman Horrocks Leadership Award in 2012.