LHRT (Library History Round Table)

Jean Ellen Coleman (1928-1996) was a pioneering librarian and the founding director of the American Library Association Office for Library Outreach Services (OLOS), serving from 1973 to 1986. Her work focused on ensuring equitable access to library services for underserved populations, particularly Native Americans and adult learners. 

• She graduated from Hunter College and earned her Master of Library Science (MLS) from Pratt Institute and PhD from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Her dissertation was  "Literacy education programs in public libraries as a response to a socio-educational need: Four case studies (Doctoral dissertation). Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey."
• Early in her career, she taught on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation (1956–1957) and at the Jewish Guild for the Blind (1958–1962). She later worked for the Brooklyn Public Library until joining the ALA in 1973.
• Her hands-on experience with diverse communities shaped her commitment to outreach and equity in library services.

Coleman was instrumental in establishing and leading the ALA's Office for Library Outreach Services OLOS, which was originally created in 1970 as the Office of Library Service to the Disadvantaged and officially opened in 1973. Her leadership emphasized library services for marginalized groups, including the urban and rural poor, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and those isolated by cultural or geographic barriers.*

• Advocacy for Native American Library Services: Coleman worked with the American Indian Library Association and met with U.S. Department of the Interior personnel to improve library services for Native American communities nationwide. Her efforts helped legitimize the American Indian Library Association within ALA, providing a platform to address indigenous library needs.
• Coalition for Literacy: She collaborated with a group of eleven national volunteer, private, and public sector organizations, known as The Coalition for Literacy, to launch a nationwide literacy campaign, promoting literacy development for underserved populations.
• Equity of Access: Coleman's philosophy centered on empowering diverse communities through literacy and information access. She was known for her inclusive approach, listening to minority librarians and those from small libraries, and translating their needs into effective programs.

In 2000, ALA established the Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture, an annual lecture series held during the ALA Annual Conference. This series honors Dr. Coleman's work by featuring speakers who focus on outreach, equity, and social justice in library services. The inaugural lecturer was Barbara J. Ford in 2000.

Satia Orange provided a history of the Coleman lecture in 2019:  "Backstories: Reflections of the Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture. 2000-2019 ." (attached)

The ALA's Social Responsibilities Round Table Action Council praised Coleman for her willingness to listen to underserved groups and make their wishes effective, noting her warm support for minority librarians and small libraries. She was described as having "quiet dignity, always gentle, generous of spirit, ever persuasive, and resolute" in her goal to ensure access to quality library services.

*The Office was renamed the Office for Library Outreach Services in 1980, and later became the Office for Literacy and Outreach Services in 1995, and the Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS) in 2012. 

Sources:

American Library Association. Social Responsibility Round Table: Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture | ALA
Satia Marshall Orange.  2019 Satia Orange Jean E Coleman Outreach Lecture_0.pdf

Lippincott, Kate (1996). "25 Years of Outreach: A Bibliographic Timeline of the American Library Association, Office for Literacy and Outreach Services".

Jean Ellen Coleman - Wikipedia