INLS843 Seminar in Public Libraries

07 February 2007 - Purpose & power

How do you relate to the ideas put forth by Dee Garrison?
Is there a relationship between political power for the public library and the feminization of the profession?
Why do Garrison's observations generate such heat?

Dee Garrison, Journal of Academic Librarianship 3 (1) Mar 77, 10-19. 77 refs (Note. Reprinted from Journal of Social History, 6 (2) Winter 72-73, 131-159).
Indicates that the feminization of public librarianship both formed and retarded its later development. Women of the late Nineteenth century formed a fund of educated, unskilled, passive, cheap labor, and female leaders in the profession did little but condone what amounted to exploitation of their sex, and helped firmly establish the now traditional genteel, timid image of the librarian. In the ensuing struggle to establish professionalism, feminization played a significant role. The concept of professionalism required 3 basic elements:
1. service orientation, with life-long commitment to a vocation, which women, because of a high staff turnover due to marriage, were unable to give;
2. knowledge base, but professional education, influenced by Melvil Dewey, was oriented towards the mechanics of librarianship;
3. degree of autonomy - limited in librarianship by an authoritarian administrative structure.

James W. Milden, Journal of Library History 12 (2) Spring 77, 150-158. 24 refs
The first serious attempt at library unionization was made in 1917 with the forming of the New York Public Library Employees' Union (LEU) largely dominated by women. Issues of economics and professionalism were certainly involved but the issues of sexual discrimination and the status of women were the strongest factors, and those most vigorously opposed. The example of the LEU was quickly followed by other library systems. Anti-unionists saw the movement as grossly materialistic, identified it as unprofessional, and expressed fears that the outcome would be a division between management (males) and the rank and file (females). Seeking ALA support the LEU placed the matter of discrimination before the Resolutions Committee without success, the resolution was eventually read to the ALA general assembly and defeated 121 votes to 1, with 4/5 of the voters being women. By the early 1920s all public library unions had died.