Staff Liaison Files, 1976-2013
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Brief Description: Staff Liaison files kept by Margaret Myers of the ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment, staff liaison to COSWL, contain correspondence, minutes, agendas, conference materials, reports, publications, brochures, rosters of appointees concerning Annual and Midwinter meetings, COSWL's tenth anniversary (1986), pay equity, women's rights legislation (including the Equal Rights Amendment), sex discrimination, women of color in librarianship, monitoring and analysis of gender balance in ALA Council, annually compiled bibliographies of publications relating to the employment and education of women in librarianship, health risks of video display terminals, LC subject headings, child care (1994), "Equality in Librarianship: A Guide to Sex Discrimination Laws" (1981-90), "Directory of Library and Information Profession Women's Groups" (1981-83), and "Your Library: A Feminist Resource: Check It Out" (1985). Correspondents include Eleanor Holmes Norton.
Held at:
The American Library Association Archives
19 Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61802
Phone: 217 333 0798
Fax: 217 244 2868
Email: ala-archives [at] library.illinois.edu
Record Series Number: 81/2/10
Created by: Status of Women in Librarianship, Committee on the
Volume: 5.3 Cubic Feet
Acquired: 10/11/00, 1/1/20
More information is available at https://files.archon.library.illinois.edu/alasfa/8102010a.pdf
Arrangement: Alphabetical, therein chronological
Biographical Note for Status of Women in Librarianship, Committee on the :

The resolution proposing the establishment of an ALA Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship (COSWL) was presented during the 1974 Annual Conference (1), discussed by Council at the 1975 Midwinter Meeting (2), and approved by Council during the 1976 Centennial Conference (3). This followed endorsement

(April 1976) by the ALA Executive Board of the proposed guidelines for a standing committee on women submitted by the ad hoc committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship (4), which had been appointed in 1975 by the ALA President (5).

The Committee's ten members are appointed by the Council Committee on Committees, the chairperson is designated by the ALA president-elect, and an ALA staff member acts as liaison (6). The Committee's responsibilities are:

1. To represent officially the diversity of women's interests within ALA and to ensure that the Association considers the rights of the majority (women) in the library field;

2. To promote and initiate the collection, analysis, dissemination, and coordination of information on the status of women in librarianship;

3. To coordinate the activities of ALA units that consider questions which have special relevance for women;

4. To identify lags, gaps, and possible discrimination in resources and programs relating to women;

5. To help develop evaluative tools, guidelines, and programs in cooperation with other ALA units designed to enhance the opportunities and the image of women in the library profession, thus raising the level of consciousness concerning women;

6. To establish contacts with committees on women within other professional groups and to represent officially ALA concerns at interdisciplinary meetings on women's equality;

7. To provide Council and Membership with reports needed for the establishment of policies and actions related to the status of women in librarianship, and to monitor ALA units to ensure consideration of the rights of women.

Subcommittees formed to support these activities include: Legislation; Pay Equity; Publications; Re-entry Project (8), From 1982 to 1983 Equal Rights Amendment and Nestle Boycott subcommittees functioned (9).

COSWL sponsors research projects and publications concerning the status of women in the profession, including The COSWL Study (1979-) (10), the Directory of Library and Information Profession Women's Groups (3rd ed., 1983) (11), and On Account of Sex: An Annotated Bibliography on the Status of Women in Librarianship 1977-1972 (1984) (12).

In 1979 COSWL received the Bailey K. Howard - World Book Encyclopedia - ALA Goal Award to develop a profile of ALA personal members, known as the COSWL Study (13). COSWL was awarded the J. Morris Jones - World Book Encyclopedia - ALA Goals Award with the OLPR Advisory Committee in 1980 to undertake a special project on Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value (14).

Sub-Groups

1-Chair

2 - Secretary

3 - Publications

Advance Women in Library Management (subcommittee)

Bibliography/Clearinghouse (subcommittee)

Chapter Relations

Legislation (subcommittee)

Minority Women Oral History Project (task force)

Subject Index
ALA Council
Bibliographies
Equal Rights Amendment
Pay Equity
Sex Discrimination
Status of Women
Women Librarians
Languages of Materials
English [eng]