"a phenomenal library leader who exemplified professionalism, spirit, and a warm personality that inspired and encouraged all who knew him."
Dr. Stanton F. Biddle (1943–2026)
Dr. Stanton F. Biddle was a phenomenal library leader who exemplified professionalism, spirit, and a warm personality that inspired and encouraged all who knew him. He championed diversity, equity, access, and inclusion, and was an esteemed researcher and scholar.
Dr. Biddle received his undergraduate degree in government from Howard University in 1965; his MLS from Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University) in 1967; his MPA from New York University in 1973; and his DLIS from the University of California, Berkeley in 1988.
Dr. Biddle served as a reference librarian at the New York Public Library's Municipal Reference Library and Schomburg Center for Black Literature and Culture (1967-1973); associate library director at Howard University (1973-1976); associate library director at State University of New York at Buffalo (1979-1984), and as the Chief Librarian at Baruch College (1984-2014). Prior to these positions, he was a library page at Rochester Public Library and a library assistant at the Library of Congress.
Dr. Biddle faithfully served the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) as an executive board member (1976–1978, 1980–1982, 1989–1991, 1999–2001, and 2012–2014), president (1994–1996), and treasurer (2002–2012). He also served on BCALA's Steering Committee (1973–1975) and edited three sets of conference proceedings for BCALA's National Conference of African American Librarians (NCAAL).
He was also active in the New York Black Librarians Caucus (NYBLC), the American Library Association, the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society (NYG&B), the United States Colored Troops Institute (USCTI), the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), and several other organizations.
Dr. Biddle received several awards during his career, including:
· 1983 ACRL Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
· 2001 DEMCO/BCALA Award for Excellence in Librarianship
· 2002 BCALA Distinguished Service Award
· 2003 USCTI President's Award for Distinguished Service
· 2010 Achievement in Library Diversity Research Honoree (ALA Office for Diversity)
Selected publications by Dr. Biddle include:
Biddle, Stanton F. "A Partnership in Progress: The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture." Crisis, vol. 85, no. 10, 1978, pp. 331–37.
Biddle, Stanton F. "BCALA Leadership, 1970–2025" (Parts 1 and 2). Handbook of Black Librarianship, 3rd ed., edited by Andrew P. Jackson, Marva L. DeLoach, and Michele Fenton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2024, pp. 50–63.
Biddle, Stanton F. Planning in the University Library, Greenwood Press, 1992.
Biddle, Stanton F. "Puerto Rican New Yorkers: A Guide to Available Materials at the Municipal Reference Library." Municipal Reference Library Notes, vol. 41, no. 1, 1967, pp. 81–87.
Biddle, Stanton F. "Some Personal Reflections on Multiculturalism." Urban Library Journal, vol. 20, no. 1, 2014, pp. 32–37. Academic Works, academicworks.cuny.edu/ulj/vol20/iss1/19.
Biddle, Stanton F. "Sojourner Truth's Newly Rediscovered 1828 Court Record." New York Researcher, vol. 33, no. 5, 2023, pp. 16–18. New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/sites/default/files/researcher-rootstech23.pdf. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Biddle, Stanton F. Surname Index, Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, 1997.
Biddle, Stanton F. The African American Yellow Pages: A Comprehensive Resource Guide and Directory, 1st ed., Henry Holt, 1996.
Biddle, Stanton F. The Planning Function in the Management of University Libraries: Survey, Analysis, Conclusions, and Recommendations. 1988. University of California, Berkeley, PhD dissertation.
Biddle, Stanton F. "The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: Documenting the Black Experience." Bulletin of the New York Public Library, vol. 76, 1972, pp. 21–35.
Biddle, Stanton F. and Paul Williams. Negro Labor Committee Record Group, 1925–1969: Inventory of Archives Number 17, New York Public Library, Schomburg Collection on Negro Literature and History, 1971.
Culture Keepers: Enlightening and Empowering Our Communities: Proceedings of the First National Conference of African American Librarians, September 4–6, 1992, Columbus, Ohio, edited by Stanton F. Biddle, Black Caucus of the American Library Association, 1993.
Culture Keepers II: Unity through Diversity: Proceedings of the Second National Conference of African American Librarians, August 5–7, 1994, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, edited by Stanton F. Biddle, Black Caucus of the American Library Association, 1995.
Culture Keepers IX: Meet at the Gateway: Reimagining Communities, Technologies, and Libraries: Proceedings of the 9th National Conference of African American Librarians, August 4–8, 2015, St. Louis, Missouri, edited by Stanton F. Biddle and Michele Fenton. Black Caucus of the American Library Association, 2016.
New York Black Librarians Caucus. Looking Back, Moving Forward: Celebrating 50 Years of the New York Black Librarians Caucus 1970-2020, edited by Phyllis G. Mack and Stanton F. Biddle, New York Black Librarians Caucus, 2021.
Dr. Stanton F. Biddle was a kindhearted leader, esteemed professional, and highly regarded culture keeper. His friendly smile, humor, and gracious spirit will be truly missed.
Sources:
"ACRL/ISI Fellowships Awarded." College & Research Libraries News [Online], vol. 44, no. 3, 1983, p. 84. crln.acrl.org/index.php/crlnews/article/viewFile/22254/28352. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
"Biddle Named 2010 Achievement in Library Diversity Research Honoree." American Library Association, June 8, 2010.
www.ala.org/news/2010/06/biddle-named-2010-achievement-library-diversity-research-honoree. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Freeman, Rodney, interviewer. "A Memory of an HBCU Library Science Program: Atlanta University." YouTube, uploaded by Are You a Librarian?, 6 May 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSPcLgquKV8. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Handbook of Black Librarianship. 3rd ed., edited by Andrew P. Jackson, Marva L. DeLoach, and Michele Fenton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2024, pp. 19, 51, 61, 382.
"Stanton Biddle, Professor Emeritus, Baruch College." LinkedIn, www.linkedin.com/in/stanton-biddle-b8271825/. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Williams, Jamia and Jamillah Gabriel, narrators. "Stanton Biddle on Community, Representation, and Leadership." LibVoices, season 3, episode 6, Apple Podcasts, 20 Aug. 2022, podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-26-stanton-biddle-on-community-representation/id1502263387?i=1000575677930
Submitted by Anonymous
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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