Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Recurso educativo Open Access |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
1975
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED115287 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
Table of Contents:
- Research on the History of the American Library Association. Thomison, Dennis History Library Associations Library Research Organizational Development Organizational Effectiveness Research Needs Speeches Trend Analysis A researcher on the history of the American Library Association (ALA) describes problems encountered on his project, important trends in ALA, weaknesses and benefits of ALA, and needs in the area of historical research. Some of the problems cited are the inadequacy of organization and housing of the ALA archives, the unevenness of the archival materials, the researcher's status as an outsider, and lack of access to documents between 1958 and 1972. Among the current trends are: (1) unhappiness in the divisions related to ALA's tendency to be less responsive toward individuals; (2) greater concern with bread and butter issues; and (3) centralization of power in the hands of a few, generally establishment-oriented, individuals. Also cited are the weakness of ALA in the areas of democratic organization, library education, influence on the selection of Librarians of Congress, and publications. Benefits include ALA's role in raising the status of librarianship, pursuing foreign activities, and backing the concept of intellectual freedom. A need is seen for historical research in greater depth which may be pursued in dissertations, journal articles, and oral history projects. (LS)