Al Kagan is African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of Progressive Library Organizations: A Worldwide History (2015), and three editions (two with co-authors) of Reference Guide to Africa: A Bibliography of Sources (1999, 2005, 2014). He publishes on the social responsibilities of librarians and their associations. He represented the American Library Association’s Social Responsibilities Round Table on the ALA Council for fifteen years, last serving in 2015.