SRRT (Social Responsibilities Round Table)

Betty- Carol Sellen 1934 -2023.

Betty Carol Sellen was a librarian and a collector of American folk and outsider art. She held numerous positions in the field, including
the Brooklyn Public Library, the University of
Washington Law Library , and City
University of New York (CUNY) - Brooklyn College where she retired as an Associate Librarian for Public Service.

Betty- Carol was active in the American Library Association,
particularly on feminist issues in the profession; she was one of the founders of the New York SocialResponsibilities Round Table (NYSRRT) and the ALA Social Responsibilities Round
Table (SRRT). She co-founded and served as chair of the SRRT Feminist Task Force, and later chair of the Committee on the Status of Women. She collaborated with others to organize the first ALA
Pre-conference on the Status of Women in Librarianship (sponsored by SRRT TaskForce on the Status of Women in 1974 in Rutgers University); this conference also generated resolutions that were presented to ALA in 1974 involving critical issuessuch as childcare services, sexist terminology, support for affirmative action, womenin ALA Council positions and more.

Betty-Carol Sellen served as President of the Library Association of the Cityof University of New York (LACUNY) from 1969-1971; as co-chair of the 1968 LACUNYConference, she helped shape the foundation for the CUNY union catalog and collections partnership among CUNY libraries. She received the ALA Equality Award in 1990 for her outstanding contribution and service in supporting sex and racial equality

Among Betty- Carol's books are:: The Librarian’s Cookbook ; The Bottom Line Reader: A Financial Handbook; The Collection Building Reader ; What Else You Can Do
With a Library Degree; 20th Century American Folk, Self-Taught, and Outside Art; Outsider, Self-Taught, and American Folk Art: Annotated Bibliography with Cynthia Johanson; Art Centers: American Studios and Galleries for Artists
with Developmental or Mental Disabilities; Self-Taught, Outsider and Folk Art: A Guide to American Artists, Locations, and Resources in 2016; Women in aWomen’s Profession: Strategies Proceedings of the Pre-Conference on the Status of
Women in Librarianship.

Following her retirement, Betty-Carol Sellen ran a B&B in New Orleans with her wife Marti Burt.She
hosted many librarians, and she devoted time to collecting and documenting outsider artists

S

Original Message:
Sent: 10/8/2025 8:41:00 PM
From: Patricia Schuman
Subject: Betty- Carol Sellen — Librarians We Have Lost-Sesquicentennial Memories -1976-2026

Betty- Carol Sellen 1934 -2023.

Betty Carol Sellen was a librarian and a collector of American folk and outsider art. She held numerous positions in the field, including
the Brooklyn Public Library, the University of
Washington Law Library , and City
University of New York (CUNY) - Brooklyn College where she retired as an Associate Librarian for Public Service.

Betty- Carol was active in the American Library Association,
particularly on feminist issues in the profession; she was one of the founders of the New York SocialResponsibilities Round Table (NYSRRT) and the ALA Social Responsibilities Round
Table (SRRT). She co-founded and served as chair of the SRRT Feminist Task Force, and later chair of the Committee on the Status of Women. She collaborated with others to organize the first ALA
Pre-conference on the Status of Women in Librarianship (sponsored by SRRT TaskForce on the Status of Women in 1974 in Rutgers University); this conference also generated resolutions that were presented to ALA in 1974 involving critical issuessuch as childcare services, sexist terminology, support for affirmative action, womenin ALA Council positions and more.

Betty-Carol Sellen served as President of the Library Association of the Cityof University of New York (LACUNY) from 1969-1971; as co-chair of the 1968 LACUNYConference, she helped shape the foundation for the CUNY union catalog and collections partnership among CUNY libraries. She received the ALA Equality Award in 1990 for her outstanding contribution and service in supporting sex and racial equality

Among Betty- Carol's books are:: The Librarian’s Cookbook ; The Bottom Line Reader: A Financial Handbook; The Collection Building Reader ; What Else You Can Do
With a Library Degree; 20th Century American Folk, Self-Taught, and Outside Art; Outsider, Self-Taught, and American Folk Art: Annotated Bibliography with Cynthia Johanson; Art Centers: American Studios and Galleries for Artists
with Developmental or Mental Disabilities; Self-Taught, Outsider and Folk Art: A Guide to American Artists, Locations, and Resources in 2016; Women in aWomen’s Profession: Strategies Proceedings of the Pre-Conference on the Status of
Women in Librarianship.

Following her retirement, Betty-Carol Sellen ran a B&B in New Orleans with her wife Marti Burt.She
hosted many librarians, and she devoted time to collecting and documenting outsider artists

S