Professor Daphne Rowena Douglas had a prominent career as an administrator, librarian, professor and scholar. Douglas was born September 24, 1924 in Kingston Jamaica to Rowena Theresa (née Davis) and Thomas Edson Douglas. Her library education began at the Eastern Caribbean Regional Library (ECRL) in Trinidad where she completed elections as an Associate of the Library Association of the United Kingdom in 1954. She received a Fellow of the Library Association (FLA) at Leeds College of Commerce School of Librarianship, England, 1957/58 and pursued studies in Library Education at the Danish School of Librarianship (August-November 1968). She received an MLS from the University of Pittsburgh in 1974.
Prior to joining the Department of Library Studies at the University of the West Indies, Douglas worked for the Jamaica Civil Service 1944-1956, and then for the Jamaica Library Service 1956-1971. She was one of the original professors serving as lecturer, then as senior lecturer throughout her tenure. Simultaneously, she held the position of Head from 1976 to 1980 and from 1982-1993. Under her leadership, the department began offering post-graduate programs and pioneered the use of computers.
Professor Douglas was also a member of the Jamaica Library Association, now the Library and Information Association of Jamaica, and served as president in 1977. She was involved with the Association of Caribbean, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL) and served as the organization's president in 1984. She joined the Board of Management at the National Library of Jamaica after retiring from the University of the West Indies serving as Chairman of the Board from 1997-2011.
She published widely, such foundation articles as The Education and Training of Librarians in Jamaica (1976) and Library Documentation Services in Jamaica (1976).
Awards:
· Woman of Distinction Award for 1976 to 1985; award for distinguished service in librarianship for unbroken service in the field of library education from the University of the West Indies.
· Order of Distinction in 1992 for her work in library education in Jamaica and the Caribbean
· Silver Musgrave Medal, 2005, from the Institute of Jamaica.
One of the reading rooms at the National Library of Jamaica bears her name, as does an annual lecture series given at the Department of Library and Information Studies.
Professor Douglas passed away April 11, 2024.
More:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne_Douglas
Professor Daphne Douglas gets CD. https://nlj.gov.jm/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/bn_douglas_dr_0012.pdf
Faculty of Humanities & Education: Tribute to Professor Daphne Douglas. www.mona.uwi.edu/humed/news/tribute-professor-daphne-douglas
Professor Daphne Douglas (1924- ) https://nlj.gov.jm/project/professor-daphne-douglas-1924/
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Simone Clunie
Cataloging Metadata Librarian
Virginia State University
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