McCook, Kathleen de la Pena | The American Library Association Archives

Kathleen de la Peña McCook (formerly Heim) earned her MA in Library Science from the Graduate Library School at the University of Chicago in 1974, and her PhD from the School of Library and Information Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1990. She has been a faculty member at Dominican University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Loiusiana State University. In 1992, she began teaching at the University of South Florida’s School of Information, where she holds the position of Distinguished University Professor since 2001.

McCook authored many articles on human rights, First Amendment issues, and freedom of information, as well as contributed to several books, including Service Learning, Libraries & Democracy: The Cornerstones of Liberty, and The Portable MLIS. She chaired the Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship between 1980 and 82 and served as the president of the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) from 1987 to 1988.

The honors received by McCook include the Equality Award (ALA 1987), the Catalyst for Change Award (ALA 1998), Latino Librarian of the Year (REFORMA, 2002), the Hispanic Heritage Award (USF, 2003), Achievement in Library Diversity Research (ALA, 2004), ALA Emerging Leaders (ALA, 2008), the Carnegie Book Award (2014-2015), the Elizabeth Martinez Lifetime Achievement Award, (REFORMA, 2016), and the Joseph W. Lippincott Award for distinguished service to the profession of librarianship (ALA, 2019).

1. "REFORMA Announces 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award (LAA) Winner" REFORMA, https://www.reforma.org/files/pressreleases/2016%20LAA.pdf

2. "Kathleen de la Peña McCook". Leadership Lessons. American Library Association, https://www.emergingleaders.ala.org/leadershiplessons/?p=88.