ALA
President Carol Brey-Casiano Urges Clark Atlanta University to
Keep School of Library and Information Studies Open
September
9th, 2004 -- CHICAGO – The
following statement has been issued by American Library Association (ALA)
President Carol Brey-Casiano on the closing of Clark Atlanta University’s
School of Library and Information Studies.
“Clark
Atlanta University (CAU) decided in October 2003 to close its School of
Library and Information Studies (SLIS) at the end of the 2004–2005 academic
year. The CAU Board of Trustees says it must cut this and other programs if
the university is to survive a $7.5
million
deficit. The ALA has voiced its concern to the chair of the CAU trustees and
has pointed out that the CAU SLIS program receives a larger proportion of
funding from non-university sources than most SLIS programs of its size.
“The
CAU SLIS program has a long and illustrious history. The school opened with 25
students in 1941; its primary intent was to prepare African American
librarians, but it has always encouraged and enrolled students from all
nations and all ethnic backgrounds. Its first dean was Eliza Atkins Gleason,
the first African American to earn a PhD in Library Science.
“About
100 students were enrolled in the CAU SLIS last year, a 29 percent increase
over the previous year.
“The CAU SLIS program is the only one in Georgia that is accredited by the ALA and is one of only two such programs in historically black universities. To drop this program for financial reasons seems to make little budgetary sense, and it would be a false economy in other, more important ways as well.
The
ALA, like Clark Atlanta, believes in the rich heritage that historically black
universities bring to our country. The ALA is also committed to promoting
diversity in the library profession and the free and informed flow of
information to all segments of our society. The Association believes that it is
essential that children and families have the benefit of working with
African-American librarians, and the continuation of the Clark Atlanta SLIS
would further that reality. African-American librarians graduating from this
program also serve as role models both for those who are in their formative
years and for colleagues in the profession.
“The
trustees also seem overly concerned about the conditional accreditation the SLIS
received in the last review, as carrying out the recommendations and
requirements of the accreditation process should not represent an undue
budgetary burden.
“CAU President Walter Broadnax
told the Associated Press last year “what’s on the table is saving this
university.” What is also “on
the table” is maintaining the Clark Atlanta SLIS mission, which is “to
continue its more than fifty year history of educating library and information
professionals who are culturally diverse and able to serve successfully in
libraries and information centers throughout the world.
“The Clark Atlanta University School of Library and Information Studies has contributed significantly to the development and improvement of African American school libraries in the South and to the enrichment and diversity of our national culture. The ALA feels that closure of this program would have a negative impact on future services to an increasingly diverse society. The Association strongly urges the Clark Atlanta trustees to keep the university’s SLIS open so that it can continue to serve our profession, our communities, and the world.”
Contact:
Larra Clark,