"I was so excited to learn we were both librarians..." --Norma Durian, Community College Librarian
Barbara Anne Clarke Durian (1938-2026)
When I first met my mother-in-law, Barbara Durian I had no idea she was a librarian and she had no idea I was working on my library degree. I was so excited to learn we were both librarians :) .
She was a K-12 and a community college librarian. She began her library career at Bonita Unified School District and also at Pomona Public Library, both in Southern California. After she retired from the school district, she worked as an adjunct at Citrus College.
She passed away of Alzheimer's disease on February 13, 2026. She was 87. Barbara was a wonderful librarian, mother, friend, sister, and the best mother-in-law. Her former colleagues and her family miss her dearly.
-Norma Durian, Community College Librarian
Claremont Courier Obituary
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In honor of the Sesquicentennial (150th Anniversary of ALA) in 2026, the Library History Round Table is hosting Librarians We Have Lost, Sesquicentennial Memories -1976-2026. This collage of tributes seeks to honor librarians who died between 1976-2026. The tributes are published to ALA Connect, a digital memorial on LHRT News & Notes, and ALA's institutional repository (ALAIR).
We invite tributes from anyone about any library worker who passed away between 1976-2026. To submit a tribute, please use the form at https://lhrt.news/librarians-we-have-lost-sesquicentennial-memories-1976-2026-2/
For questions or comments, please reach out to Dr. Kathleen McCook (kmccook@usf.edu) or Brett Spencer (dbs21@psu.edu).
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Brett Spencer
Reference Librarian
Thun Library, Penn State Berks
He/Him/His
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