E. J. Josey: Transformational Leader of the Modern Library Profession

Abstract

Written by Dr. Renate L. Chancellor, a professor of library and information science at Catholic University of America, E. J. Josey: Transformational Leader of the Modern Library Profession chronicles the life and career of Dr. E. J. Josey, past president of the American Library Association (ALA) and cofounder of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA). Using resources from the ALA Archives, North Carolina Central University School of Library and Information Sciences, the University of Pittsburgh Archives, the Savannah State University Library, Portsmouth Public Library, and the Birmingham Public Library Archives, Chancellor shares with readers the progressive growth and evolution of a librarian who wanted to see others succeed and who worked diligently to transform librarianship into a profession truly committed to providing access to library and information services for all people. Chancellor also references Bernard Bass’s theory on transformational leadership, which encompasses idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, and individualized consideration in describing the strides Josey made in the library profession and in the community.Born in 1924, Elonnie Junius Josey grew up under the ravages of Jim Crow in Portsmouth, Virginia. The neighborhood in which he lived was segregated; the schools he attended were also segregated and inadequately funded. Access to library services was limited to the Portsmouth Colored Community Library. As a young man during World War II, Josey also experienced racism in the military, which at the time was also segregated. However, despite the challenges of navigating life through spaces filled with prejudice, Josey chose to overcome circumstances and not let circumstances overcome him.According to Chancellor, Josey’s early experiences with racism and hate fueled his passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Those same experiences also shaped Josey into a powerful leader and motivator who did not shy away from challenges, preferring instead to face them head-on. Josey’s courage and outspokenness earned him respect from many in the library field but also brought disdain from others who saw him as an agitator and disruptor. He saw this negative reaction as a positive because he recognized that agitation and disruption were sometimes necessary in bringing about change. Chancellor talks about this when discussing Josey’s drafting of a resolution to deny membership in ALA to state library associations that refused to accept African Americans as members. As a result of the resolution, several southern library associations began integrating their membership, including the Georgia Library Association, which admitted Josey as its first African American member.Chancellor also provides other examples of Josey’s crusade for change, including his protest of the South African coalition during the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Stockholm, Sweden. Having experienced segregation himself, Josey wanted to push for change in how library services were targeted to Black South Africans and implored others in the profession to join him in taking stand against apartheid. In addition, Josey confronted racism within ALA itself, prompting his formation with other African American librarians of the BCALA in 1970.Going further, Chancellor highlights Josey’s career as a library science professor who instilled a sense of justice his students and taught them the importance of equity, advocacy, diversity, and inclusion in library service and in the community. In addition, Josey encouraged his students’ development into library leaders by mentoring, coaching, and serving as role model for transformative leadership.It must be noted, however, that Chancellor’s work is not the first book on Josey. A previous work, E. J. Josey: An Activist Librarian, was published in 1992 by Scarecrow Press and edited by Dr. Ismail Abdullahi, a contemporary and former student of Josey’s. (According to Chancellor’s work, Josey personally recruited Abdullahi into the library science program at the University of Pittsburgh.) Although both Chancellor’s and Abdullahi’s books provide a profound portrait of Josey, they differ in that Abdullahi’s work is not a biography but rather a collection of essays written by people who knew and worked with Josey as a tribute to his hard work and perseverance in the library profession and the positive impact he made on those around him. Some of the contributors to Abdullahi’s work mention how hard Josey worked in recruiting other librarians of color into the profession and finding ways to get financial aid for those who needed it. He was also remembered by some as a great mentor and friend. Regardless of the difference in how the two authors share Josey’s legacy, readers of both books can see that Josey took his profession seriously and was deeply committed to diversity, access, equity, and inclusion.E. J. Josey: Transformational Leader of the Modern Library Profession is a welcome addition to a growing body of work on African American librarians, including The Black Librarian in America, The 21st-Century Black Librarian in America, and The Black Librarian in America: Reflection, Resistance, and Reawakening. It is a well-written and thoroughly researched biographical work that will be of great interest to persons seeking to know more about Josey and the profound leader he was. Most importantly, reading about Josey’s life and leadership skills may serve as a blueprint for librarians and nonlibrarians seeking to become leaders and change agents in the library profession.