George Needham (1955-2023) as the Director of the Delaware County District Library (OH)
from 2015 to 2022, bringing a wealth of knowledge, dedication, and innovation to that community.
He was a graduate of the University at Buffalo (New York), earning both his BA and MLS degrees.
He began his professional career at the Charleston (South Carolina) County Library and has served as director of Fairfield County (Ohio) District Library.
He was Executive Director of the Public Library Association from 1993 to 1996.
He was State Librarian of Michigan (1996-1999).
George Needham dedicated more than 15 years of his career as the Vice President for Global and Regional Councils at OCLC in Dublin, Ohio.
Two-Time Jeopardy Champion, Speaker, Writer, Podcaster , Reviewer
George Needham achieved a notable milestone in popular culture, earning the distinction of a two-time Jeopardy! Champion in December 1994, bringing a touch of non-library fame to his illustrious career.
George Needham's commitment to the library profession extended beyond the local level, as he was a frequent speaker at professional events, contributing chapters to several books, writing articles, recording podcasts for the Infopeople, and reviewing numerous books and audiobooks, DVDs, and other materials for publications such as Library Journal, Booklist, The Columbus Dispatch, and AudioFile.
His passion for sharing knowledge and fostering a love for literature was further exemplified by his co-hosting of the weekly radio program "Off the Shelf," broadcast and streamed on WDLR-AM.
Sources
Hall of Fame Librarian by the Ohio Library Council in 2022.
MEMORIAL RESOLUTION HONORING GEORGE NEEDHAM_0.pdf ALA Council, January 24, 2024.
Remembering George Needham. Delaware County District Library.
Jeopardy! Alex Guard, George Needham, Jim Solomon (1994x212)
George Needham. Obituary. Columbus Dispatch. November 29, 2023.
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In honor of the Sesquicentennial (150th Anniversary of ALA) in 2026, the https://www.ala.org/lhrt. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ala.org%2Flhrt&data=05%7C02%7Ckmccook%40usf.edu%7C36c81748142e4560f16a08de7ea2b057%7C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa%7C0%7C0%7C639087434412498472%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=iu%2FgJqyLRplHukAJ7M6hsLqvx8aThC1snbTXCJOXR9w%3D&reserved=0" data-linkindex="10" data-ogsc="">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 https://lhrt.news/librarians-we-have-lost-sesquicentennial-memories-1976-2026/. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flhrt.news%2Flibrarians-we-have-lost-sesquicentennial-memories-1976-2026%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ckmccook%40usf.edu%7C36c81748142e4560f16a08de7ea2b057%7C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa%7C0%7C0%7C639087434412524717%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=6C1fuFxWmbGC%2Bc5QD%2F8FreoFLrQO%2Ff799N0vic3haGA%3D&reserved=0" data-linkindex="11" data-ogsc="">digital memorial on LHRT News & Notes, and https://alair.ala.org/collections/1ea0f128-01ca-4ed8-a1ea-4f78734f7cad/search. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Falair.ala.org%2Fcollections%2F1ea0f128-01ca-4ed8-a1ea-4f78734f7cad%2Fsearch&data=05%7C02%7Ckmccook%40usf.edu%7C36c81748142e4560f16a08de7ea2b057%7C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa%7C0%7C0%7C639087434412546888%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=HjCngHKxdsOaebO2EdI2O3E7wzOXj%2FPm3zSJB8Etn%2Fw%3D&reserved=0" data-linkindex="12" data-ogsc="">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/. Click or tap if you trust this link." data-auth="NotApplicable" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flhrt.news%2Flibrarians-we-have-lost-sesquicentennial-memories-1976-2026-2%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ckmccook%40usf.edu%7C36c81748142e4560f16a08de7ea2b057%7C741bf7dee2e546df8d6782607df9deaa%7C0%7C0%7C639087434412567663%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=wcK5vxnkTbkPrjKs78Q3w%2F7T%2FJmdqQds6ycbrHOOrjk%3D&reserved=0" data-linkindex="13" data-ogsc="">lhrt.news/...
For questions or comments, please reach out to Brett Spencer (dbs21@psu.edu) or Kathleen McCook (kmccook@usf.edu) .
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Kathleen de la Peña McCook
Distinguished University Professor
School of Information
University of South Florida
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