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By Cara Bertram
Collection Overview
Title: Agnes M. Griffen Papers, 1953-1957, 1964-1965, 1967-2009
ID: 97/1/93
Primary Creator: Griffen, Agnes M. (1935-2025)
Extent: 16.0 Cubic Feet
Arrangement: Original order. Most materials are arranged by chronological order.
Date Acquired: 02/06/2026
Subjects: Affirmative Action, Arizona, Arizona-Public Libraries, Arizona State Library, Arizona State Library Association, Executive Board, ALA, Friends Groups, Friends of Libraries, Institutional Libraries, King County Library System, Legislation Committee, Libraries and people with disabilities, Library Administration, Library Budgets, Library Outreach Programs, Library Reports, Library services to prisons, Maryland, Maryland-Public Libraries, Montgomery County (Md.). Department of Public Libraries, Program Evaluation and Support Committee (COPES), Public Libraries, Public Library Association (PLA), Tucson-Pima Public Library, Washington
Languages: English
Scope and Contents of the Materials
Papers of Agnes M. Griffen, documenting her education in librarianship and career at the King County Library System (1965-1974), the Tucson Public Library (1974-1980), the Director of the Montgomery County, Maryland, Department of Public Libraries (1980-1996), and as Director of the Tucson-Pima Public Library (1997-2003), along with her publications, speeches, conference materials, activities in the American Library Association, and her work in library education at University of Washington, University of Arizona, and the Tucson-Pima Public Library. The papers contain materials on public libraries, library administration, budgets, library education, library fees, library services to people with disabilities, library services to youth and adults, library services to incarcerated people, hiring practices and affirmative action in libraries, outreach programs, intellectual freedom and censorship, library technology, state libraries, library legislation, and friends of the library groups.
Biographical Note
Agnes Marthe Hallanger Griffen was born in Fort Dauphin, Madagascar, to Lutheran missionary parents in 1935. The family’s regularly scheduled furlough back to the United States was delayed until 1947 due to World War II. After touring Europe, the family lived in St. Paul for several years. Agnes graduated from high school in Butte, Montana. She attended Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, earning her Bachelor of Arts in English, cum laude, in 1957. There she worked in the school library and met and married her first husband. They moved to Whatcom County and lived on his family’s homestead. She continued her path of library work and organized the small library at Immanuel Lutheran Church in nearby Everson and volunteered at Wilson Library at Western Washington University in Bellingham. After the family moved to Seattle, Agnes earned her Master of Library Science degree from the University of Washington in 1965. She immediately began working for the King County Library System, first as area children’s librarian, then Institutional Libraries coordinator, and finally Deputy Librarian for staff and program development. She also began to contribute to the development of public libraries and librarians through writing, speaking, teaching and consulting. Her article in the Library Journal, “Social Indicators and Library Change,” (October 1, 1972), gained national attention. She would later marry her co-author. Griffen became deputy library director of the Tucson Public Library (1974 -1980), then became Director of the Montgomery County, Maryland Department of Public Libraries (1980-1996). She returned to Tucson as Director of the Tucson-Pima Public Library in 1997 and retired in 2003. She earned an Urban Executive Certificate in 1976 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a second from Harvard in 1993. These credentials helped her when she was appointed by and worked for elected county officials in Maryland and Arizona. She participated in civic and local government activities as well as working with Friends of the Library supporters. In 1998, Griffen testified before the US Congress at the Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade and Consumer Project. Griffen was a member of the American Library Association where she served on numerous boards and committees. She was also a member of the Arizona State Library Association and the Maryland Library Association. She was affiliated with the Maryland Humanities Council, the Arizona Humanities Council, the Executive Women's Council of Southern Arizona, the National Capital Area Public Access Network, and the Arizona Statewide Library Development Committee. She was the recipient of the Helping Hand Award, Maryland Association of the Deaf (1985), the Certificate of Recognition, Montgomery County Hispanic Employees Association (1985), and the Chinese American Librarians Association President’s Recognition Award (1991). She was also a personal member of REFORMA. Following her retirement, Griffen continued to live in Tucson until 2015, when she returned to the Pacific Northwest to be near family, and lived in Bellingham until her death in 2025.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository:
The American Library Association Archives
Related Materials:
Additional materials on Agnes Griffen's career can be found in:
Department of Public Libraries, 1869-1876; 1908, 1931-2005, Series 2: Director's Files, Subseries 2: Agnes Griffen, Montgomery County Archives: https://montgomeryhistory.org/montgomery-county-archives/mca-finding-aids/
Processing Information:
Records primarily kept in their original order as Griffen dilberately organized them in preparation of their transfer to the ALA Archives. Secondary literature not relating to Griffen was removed.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
[
Series 1: Education, 1953-1957, 1964-1965, 1967],
[
Series 2: King County Library System, 1965, 1967-1978],
[
Series 3: Tucson Public Library, 1969-1980],
[
Series 4: Montgomery County Public Library, 1977-1996, 1998, 2007],
[
Series 5: Tucson-Pima Public Library, 1996-2009],
[
Series 6: Teaching Materials, 1974-1979, 1983, 1997-2003, 2006],
[Series 7: American Library Association, 1970-1972, 1976-2002],
[
All]
- Series 7: American Library Association, 1970-1972, 1976-2002
- Box 44
- Folder 1: Children's Services Division, 1970-1972
- Folder 2: Position Statements, Policy and Procedures Manual, 1976, 1978
- Folder 3: Equal Employment Opportunity and ALA Office for Library Personnel Resources, 1977-1978
- Folder 4: Public Library Association, 1977-1994
- Folder 5: Affirmative Action Grievances-Procedures, Options, Strategies - Annual Conference, 1978
- Folder 6: ALA - Jail Library Service, 1980
- Folder 7: Public Library Association - Towards the Open System and Other Papers, 1981-1982
- Folder 8: Public Library Association National Conference, 1983
- Includes photographs
- Folder 9: Testimony - Statement on NEH Before House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, 1983
- Folder 10: Public Library Association Cost Analysis Task Force, 1983-1985
- Folder 11: Certificates and Honors, 1984-1985, 1996
- Folder 12: Public Library Association - Cost Findings - Do Library Managers Really Need This?, 1985
- Folder 13: Paper on PLA as a Learning Society, circa 1985
- Folder 14: ALA Council, 1986
- Folder 15: ALA President - Margaret Chisholm, 1986
- Folder 16: Out of the Shadows and Through the Doors, ASCLA Program, 1986
- Box 45
- Folder 1: ALA Committee on Professional Ethics, 1987
- Folder 2: ALA - Correspondence, 1987-1990
- Folder 3: Seeds of Change - ALA Smithsonian Project, 1988-1989
- Folder 4: Notes, 1988, 1995
- Folder 5: ALA Executive Board, 1989
- Folder 6: ALA Executive Board Candidacy, 1989
- Folder 7: ALA Executive Board Congratulation Letters, 1989
- Folder 8: ALA Committee on Professional Ethics, 1989
- Folder 9: ALA President - Richard Dougherty, 1989
- Folder 10: They Aren't So Cute Anymore - Teenagers in Your Library, Dallas Conference, 1989
- Folder 11: ALA Executive Board, 1990-1991
- Folder 12: Public Library Association - Congratulations Letter, circa 1990
- Box 46
- Folder 1: ALA Executive Board - Linda Crismond, 1991
- Access Restriction: Restricted
- Folder 2: Public Library Association Meeting, 1991
- Folder 3: ALA Executive Board, 1991-1992
- Folder 4: ALA Executive Board - Special Subcommittee, 1992-1993
- Access Restriction: Restricted
- Folder 5: ALA Executive Board, 1993
- Folder 6: Public Library Association - Food Service in Public Libraries, 1994
- Folder 7: Subcommittee on Education, Arts, and the Humanities Statement, 1994
- Folder 8: ALA, 1994, 1997-2000
- Folder 9: ALA Office of Information Technology Policy Advisory Committee, 1995
- Folder 10: Introduction to Session on Telecomm Act, 1996
- Folder 11: Lobbying Workshop, 1996
- Box 47
- Folder 1: Lobbying Workshop, 1997
- Folder 2: Shaping the Debate Symposium, 1997
- Folder 3: Filtering Fight with Speech, 1998
- Folder 4: Filtering Testimony for ALA, 1998
- Folder 5: ALA Nomination Letters, 1999
- Folder 6: ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee - Implementation of Filtering Option, 1999
- Folder 7: Copyright, 1999
- Access Restriction: Restricted
- Folder 8: Harmful to Minors: State Legislation on Library Filters program, 1999
- Box 48
- Folder 1: Retreat and Legislative Agendas, 1999-2000
- Folder 2: ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee, 2000
- Folder 3: ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee - Presentation on Filtering Option, 2000
- Folder 4: Project Tucson/Libraries for the Future Partnership, ALA Information Literacy Community Partnership Assembly, 2000
- Folder 5: ALA Committee on Legislation, 2000-2003
- Folder 6: ALA Committee on Legislation - Broadband Telecom, 2001
- Folder 7: Developing on Agenda for Libraries and Information Policy Workshop, 2001
- Folder 8: Lippincott - Symons, 2001-2002
- Folder 9: Friends of the Library Talks, 2001, 2005-2006
- Folder 10: Internet2 K20 Workshop Draft Report, 2002
- Folder 11: ALA Committee on Legislation, 2002
- Folder 12: ALA Committee on Legislation - Chair, 2002
Browse by Series:
[
Series 1: Education, 1953-1957, 1964-1965, 1967],
[
Series 2: King County Library System, 1965, 1967-1978],
[
Series 3: Tucson Public Library, 1969-1980],
[
Series 4: Montgomery County Public Library, 1977-1996, 1998, 2007],
[
Series 5: Tucson-Pima Public Library, 1996-2009],
[
Series 6: Teaching Materials, 1974-1979, 1983, 1997-2003, 2006],
[Series 7: American Library Association, 1970-1972, 1976-2002],
[
All]
Personal Members 
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