Wiegand, Wayne A. (1946-) | The American Library Association Archives

Wayne Wiegand (1946- ), sometimes referred to as the “Dean of American library historians” due to his extensive scholarly research into American library history, is the F. William Summers Professor of Library and Information Studies Emeritus at Florida State University [1]. In addition to over one hundred scholarly articles over his long career, Wiegand’s published works include: “Politics of an Emerging Profession: The American Library Association, 1876-1917” (1986), “‘An Active Instrument for Propaganda:’ American Public Libraries During World War I” (1989), “Irrepressible Reformer: A Biography of Melvil Dewey” (1996), “Main Street Public Library: Reading Spaces and Community Places in America’s Heartland, 1876-1956” (2011), “‘Part of Our Lives:’ A People’s History of the American Public Library” (2015), “The Desegregation of Public Libraries in the Jim Crow South: Civil Rights and Local Activism” (2018, with  Shirley A. Wiegand), “American Public School Librarianship: A History” (2021), and “In Silence or Indifference: Racism and Jim Crow Segregated Public School Libraries” (2024) [2][3].

[1]: Library of Congress, "Wayne Wiegand," accessed May 5, 2026, https://www.loc.gov/item/n78070275/wayne-wiegand/

[2]: Library of Congress, "Wayne Wiegand Appointed Distinguished Visiting Scholar at John W. Kluge Center," accessed May 5, 2026, https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-16-137/wayne-wiegand-appointed-distinguished-visiting-scholar-at-john-w-kluge-center/2016-08-18/

[3]: Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, s.v. "Wayne A. Wiegand - Bibliography," (accessed May 5, 2026), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_A._Wiegand#Bibliography