LHRT News & Notes thanks Dr. Kathleen McCook, Distinguished University Professor at the School of Information at the University of South Florida, for permission to publish this list of foundational books in library services over the past fifty years. She has given the library history community another valuable tool to use as we probe libraries’ past!
On October 5, 2024, she posed this query on ALA Connect (the American Library Association’s online discussion platform open to all members): “The ALA sesquicentennial is 2026. What books do people at ALA Connect identify as foundational to library services in the last 50 or so years?”
Listed below are the answers from people at ALA Connect who sent responses. Dr. McCook notes that “this is a list of books compiled from anyone who wished to respond among 40.4K ALA Connect members. All responses included. Some books have gone through multiple editions.”
Can you think of other foundational works that should be added? If so, please email us at lhrtnewsandnotes@gmail.com
Sesquicentennial Favorites: Results of a Query to ALA Connect
Books Published Earlier That Influenced Librarians in the Past 50 Years
1774. Philobiblos. The Old Librarian’s Almanac. [Reprinted in 1909 by the Elm Tree Press in Woodstock, Vermont, after Edmund Lester Pearson discovered a copy in the Newburyport Antiquarian Society. Special Note: Dr. Wayne A Wiegand points out that The Old Librarian’s Almanac is “packed with wisdom…Pearson offers explications that greatly augment our understanding of the basic principles of librarianship. These should be read and pondered by anyone desiring to deepen their understanding of the foundations of our profession”].
1930. Power, Effie. Library Service for Children. Chicago: American Library Association.
1949. Shera, Jesse Hauk. Foundations of the Public Library: The Origins of the Public Library Movement in New England, 1629-1855. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.
1967. Rollins, Charlemae Hill, and Augusta Baker. We Build Together; A Reader’s Guide to Negro Life and Literature for Elementary and High School Use. Champaign, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English.
1967. Spalding, C. Sumner. Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules. London, Library Association. [Earlier editions: Michael Gorman and Paul W. Winkler (editors), 1978, Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, second edition (AACR2). Subsequent revisions (AACR2R) were published in 1988 and 1998.]
1969. Edwards, Margaret Alexander. The Fair Garden and the Swarm of Beasts: the Library and the Young Adult. Chicago: American Library Association.
1972. Shera, Jesse Hauk. The Foundations of Education for Librarianship. New York: Becker and Hayes.
1976- 1979
1976. Molz, Redmond Kathleen. Federal Policy and Library Support. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
1976. Sullivan, Peggy. Carl H. Milam and the American Library Association. New York: H.W. Wilson.
1977. Greene, Ellin, Augusta Baker, and Janice Del Negro. Storytelling : Art and Technique. Bowker.
1977. Libraries and the Life of the Mind in America: Addresses Delivered at the Centennial Celebration of the American Library Association. Chicago: The Association.
1977. Estabrook, Leigh S. Libraries in Post-Industrial Society. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.
1977. Lancaster, F. Wilfrid. The Measurement and Evaluation of Library Services. Washington: Information Resources Press.
1979. Braverman, Miriam. Youth, Society, and the Public Library. Chicago: American Library Association.
1979. Freedman, Maurice J., S. Michael Malinconico, and ALA Information Science and Automation Division. The Nature and Future of the Catalog: Proceedings of the ALA’s Information Science and Automation Division’s 1975 and 1977 Institutes on the Catalog. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.
1979. Garrison, Dee. Apostles of Culture: The Public Librarian and American Society, 1876-1920. New York: Macmillan Information.
1979. Weibel, Kathleen and others. The Role of Women in Librarianship, 1876-1976: The Entry, Advancement, and Struggle for Equalization in One Profession. Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx Press.
1980-1989
1980. Palmour, V. E., Bellassi, M. C., & DeWath, N. V. A Planning Process for Public Libraries. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
1981. Shiflett, Orvin Lee. Origins of American Academic Librarianship. Norwood, N.J.: Ablex Pub. Corp.
1981: Chan, Lois Mai. Cataloging and Classification : An Introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill. (Continues to be published, 5th edition published in 2023 with co-author Athena Salaba).
1982. Barber, Peggy. Sixty-Eight Great Ideas: The Library Awareness Handbook. Chicago, Ill.: American Library Association.
1982. Riggs, Donald E. Library Leadership : Visualizing the Future. Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx Press.
1984. Riggs, Donald E. Strategic Planning for Library Managers. Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx Press
1987. Van House, Nancy A., Douglas Zweizig, and Public Library Association New Standards Task Force. Output Measures for Public Libraries: A Manual of Standardized Procedures. 2nd ed. Chicago: American Library Association.
1987. McClure, C. R. Planning and Role Setting for Public Libraries. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
1989: Swan, John and Noel Peattie. The Freedom To Lie : a Debate about Democracy. Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland.
1990-1999
1991. Bopp, Richard E., and Linda C. Smith. Reference and Information Services: An Introduction. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited. (Continues to be published, 7th edition published in 2024 with new authors Melissa Autumn Wong and Laura Saunders).
1991. Riggs, Donald E. Library Communication: The Language of Leadership. Chicago: American Library Association.
1991. Cassell, Kay Ann, and Elizabeth Futas. Developing Public Library Collections, Policies, and Procedures: Manual for Small and Medium-Sized Public Libraries. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.
1991. Foerstel, Herbert N. Surveillance in the Stacks: The FBI’s Library Awareness Program. New York: Greenwood Press.
1993. Your Right to Know: The Call to Action. Patricia Schuman and the American Library Association Presidential Right to Know Committee. Chicago: American Library Association.
1993. Kuhlthau, Carol. Seeking Meaning: A Process Approach to Library and Information Services. Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex.
1993. Mann, Thomas. Library Research Models : A Guide to Classification, Cataloging, and Computers. New York: Oxford University Press.
1994. Josey, E. J. The Black Librarian in America Revisited. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press.
1994. Smith, Henrietta M. and American Library Association Coretta Scott King Task Force. The Coretta Scott King Awards Book: From Vision to Reality. Chicago: American Library Association.
1994. Mann, Thomas. Doing Research at the Library of Congress : A Guide to Subject Searching in a Closed Stacks Library. Washington DC: Library of Congress, Humanities and Social Sciences Division.
1995. Herald, Diana Tixier. Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading Interests in Genre Fiction. Englewood, Co.: Libraries Unlimited, Inc.
1995. Dodge, Chris and Jan DeSirey, eds. Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sandy Berman but Were Afraid to Ask. Jefferson NC: McFarland.
1995. Horn, Zoia. Zoia!: Memoirs of Zoia Horn, Battler for the People’s Right to Know. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
1995. Jones, Dee Blythe and Association for Library Service to Children Committee on National Planning for Special Collections. Special Collections in Children’s Literature: an International Directory. 3rd ed. Chicago: American Library Association.
1996. Atton, Chris. Alternative Literature: A Practical Guide for Librarians. Brookfield, VT: Gower.
1996. Turock, Betty J. Envisioning a Nation Connected: Librarians Define the Public Interest in the Information Superhighway. Chicago: American Library Association.
1998. Alire, Camila A., and Orlando Archibeque. Serving Latino Communities. New York: Neal-Schuman.
1998. American Association of School Librarians. Information Power : Building Partnerships for Learning. Chicago: American Association of School Librarians, a division of the American Library Association.
1998. Campbell, Patricia J. Two Pioneers of Young Adult Library Services. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press.
1998. Carmichael, James V. Daring to Find Our Names: The Search for Lesbigay Library History. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.
1998. Ford, Barbara J., and Kate Lippincott. Libraries: Global Reach, Local Touch. Chicago: American Library Association.
1998. Gorman, Michael, Paul W. Winkler, and Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR. Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules. 2d., 1998 revision. Ottawa, London, Chicago: Canadian Library Association; Library Association; American Library Association.
1998. Himmel, E., & Wilson, W. J., with the ReVision Committee of the Public Library Association. Planning for Results: A Public Library Transformation Process. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
1998. Rubin, Richard. Foundations of Library and Information Science. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers. (Continues to be published, 5th edition published in 2020 by Richard E. Rubin and Rachel G. Rubin).
1999. Dresang, Eliza T. Radical Change: Books for Youth in a Digital Age. New York: H.W. Wilson Co.
1999. Krummel, Donald William. Fiat Lux, Fiat Latebra: A Celebration of Historical Library Functions. Champaign, Ill.: Publications Office, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
2000-2009
2000. Gorman, Michael. Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the 21st Century. Chicago: American Library Association.
2000. McCook, Kathleen de la Peña. A Place at the Table: Participating in Community Building. Chicago: American Library Association.
2000. KALIPER (Project) and Association for Library and Information Science Education. Educating Library and Information Science Professionals for a New Century, The KALIPER Report.
2001. Budd, John. Knowledge and Knowing in Library and Information Science: A Philosophical Framework. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press.
2001. Kranich, Nancy C. Libraries & Democracy: The Cornerstones of Liberty. Chicago: American Library Association.
2002. Kister, Kenneth F. Eric Moon: The Life and Library Times. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
2002. Katz, William Armstrong. 2000. Introduction to Reference Work. 8th edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill. (First edition published in 1969).
2003. Buschman, John. Dismantling the Public Sphere: Situating and Sustaining Librarianship in the Age of the New Public Philosophy. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited.
2003. Freeman, Robert S., and David M. Hovde. Libraries to the People: Histories of Outreach. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co.
2004. Dawson, Alma, and Connie Van Fleet. African American Literature: A Guide to Reading Interests. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited.
2004. Osborne, Robin, and ALA Office for Literacy and Outreach Services. From Outreach to Equity: Innovative Models of Library Policy and Practice. Chicago: American Library Association.
2004: Coleman, Anita. Guide to Selecting and Cataloging Quality WWW Resources for the Small Library. Fairfield, CA: Learning Resources Association of California Community Colleges.
2005: Smiraglia, Richard P. Metadata : A Cataloger’s Primer. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Information Press.
2006. Knuth, Rebecca. Burning Books and Leveling Libraries: Extremist Violence and Cultural Destruction. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger.
2007. Dilevko Juris. Readers’ Advisory Service in North American Public L, 1870-2005 : A History and Critical Analysis. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co.
2007. Rayward, Boyd. W., and Christine Jenkins. Libraries in Times of War, Revolution, and Social Change. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
2007. Samek, Toni and others. Librarianship and Human Rights: A Twenty-First Century Guide. Oxford, England: Chandos Publishing.
2008. Lewis, Alison M. Questioning Library Neutrality: Essays from Progressive Librarian. Duluth, Minn.: Library Juice Press.
2010-2019
2010. Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA.; American Library Association.; Australian Committee on Cataloguing.; British Library.; Canadian Committee on Cataloguing.; Library of Congress.; Canadian Library Association.; Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (Great Britain); Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. Resource Description & Access:
RDA. Chicago : American Library Association.
2010. Young Adult Literature: From Romance to Realism. Chicago: American Library Association.
2011. Roy, Loriene, Anjali Bhasin, and Sarah K. Arriaga. Tribal Libraries, Archives, and Museums: Preserving Our Language, Memory, and Lifeways. Lanham: Scarecrow Press.
2011. A Bibliographic Framework for the Digital Age. Washington, D.C: Library of Congress.
2011. Wolf, Shelby Anne, Coats, Karen, Enciso, Patricia, & Jenkins, Christine A. Handbook of Research on Children’s and Young Adult Literature. New York: Routledge.
2013. Berman, Sanford. Prejudices and Antipathies: A Tract on the LC Subject Heads Concerning People. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc.. (Originally published in 1971 by Scarecrow Press).
2013. Lipinski, Tomas A. The Librarian’s Legal Companion for Licensing Information Resources and Services. Chicago: Neal-Schuman, American Library Association.
2015. Kagan, Alfred. Progressive Library Organizations: A Worldwide History. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers.
–Article Update 1: “Progressive Library Organizations Update, 2013-2017,” Journal of Radical Librarianship, Volume 4, 2018. https://journal.radicallibrarianship.org/index.php/journal/article/view/27
–Article Update 2: “Progressive Library Organizations Update, 2018-2023,” Journal of Radical Librarianship, Volume 10, 2024. https://journal.radicallibrarianship.org/index.php/journal/article/view/126/107
2015. Van Hooland, Seth, and Ruben Verborgh. Linked Data for Libraries, Archives and Museums: How to Clean, Link and Publish your Metadata. Facet Publishing.
2015. Wiegand, Wayne A. Part of Our Lives: A People’s History of the American Public Library. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
2015. Gorman, Michael. Our Enduring Values Revisited: Librarianship in an Ever-Changing World. Chicago: ALA Editions.
2016. Harger, Elaine. Which Side Are You on? Seven Social Responsibility Debates in American Librarianship, 1990-2015. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers.
2016. Rossman, Edmund A. 40+ New Revenue Sources for Libraries and Nonprofits. Chicago: ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association.
2017. Cooke, Nicole A. Information Services to Diverse Populations: Developing Culturally Competent Library Professionals. Santa Barbara, California: Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC.
2017. Joudrey, Daniel N., and Arlene G. Taylor. The Organization of Information. 4th edition. Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing.
2018. Clarke, Janet Hyunju, Raymond Pun, and Monnee Tong, eds. Asian American Librarians and Library Services: Activism, Collaborations, and Strategies. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.
2018. Cloonan, Michèle Valerie. The Monumental Challenge of Preservation: The Past in a Volatile World. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.
2018. Dowd, Ryan. The Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness: An Empathy-Driven Approach to Solving Problems, Preventing Conflict, and Serving Everyone. Chicago: ALA Editions.
2020- today
2021. Zwierski, Michele, Joanna F. Fountain, and Marilyn McCroskey. Cataloging Correctly for Kids: an Introduction to the Tools and Practices. 6th ed. Chicago: American Library Association.
2022. Austin, Jeanie. Library Services and Incarceration: Recognizing Barriers, Strengthening Access. Chicago: ALA Neal-Schuman.
2022. Knox, Emily J. M. Book Banning in 21st-century America. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
2023. Jaeger, Paul T., Jonathan Lazar, Ursula Gorham, and Natalie Greene Taylor. Foundations of Information Law. Chicago: ALA Neal-Schuman.
2023. Kennedy, Elisabet. Embracing Culturally Responsive Practice in School Libraries. Chicago: ALA Editions.
2023. Knox, Emily. Foundations of Intellectual Freedom. Chicago: ALA Neal-Schuman.
2023. Laskin, Kodi. Serving Patrons with Disabilities: Perspectives and Insights from People with Disabilities. Chicago: ALA Editions.
2023. Hartman-Caverly, Sarah, and Alexandria Chisholm, eds. Practicing Privacy Literacy in Academic Libraries: Theories, Methods, and Cases. Chicago, Illinois: Association of College & Research Libraries.
2024. Crummé, Hannah Leah, Building Representative Community Archives: Inclusive Strategies in Practice. Chicago: ALA Neal-Schuman.
2024. Hayden, Carla Diane and Library of Congress, David M. Rubenstein, Treasures Gallery. Collecting Memories: Treasures from the Library of Congress. Washington, DC: Library of Congress.
2025. Bossaller, Jenny S., and Denice Adkins. Introduction to Public Librarianship. Fourth edition. Chicago: ALA Neal-Schuman. [earlier editions: McCook, Kathleen de la Peña, and Jenny S. Bossaller. 2018. Introduction to Public Librarianship; 3rd edition. Chicago: ALA Neal-Schuman; McCook, Kathleen de la Peña. 2011. Introduction to Public Librarianship. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Neal-Schuman Publishers; McCook, Kathleen de la Peña. 2004. Introduction to Public Librarianship. First Edition. New York, N.Y.: Neal-Schumann Publishers].
2025. Johnson, Peggy, and Mary Beth Weber. Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management. Fifth edition. London: Facet Publishing.