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California Library Hall of Fame Inductees

The California Library Hall of Fame honors the historical significance and lifetime achievement of the many librarians, library workers and supporters who have helped promote and improve library services in California. All members of the library community are invited to nominate individuals who have made an historically significant contribution to the improvement of California libraries over a sustained period of time.

No more than ten nominees are inducted into the Hall of Fame in any given year. Inductees are featured in CLA's online California Library Hall of Fame and honored at CLA's Awards Gala during the annual conference. The California Library Hall of Fame was established in 2012 and is coordinated by CLA's Library History Interest Group.

2025 Hall of Fame Honorees

• Shirley A. Coaston
  Shirley A. Coaston was awarded in 2020 the Trailblazer Award by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, the highest award given to a member in recognition of outstanding and unique pioneering contributions. She was an early member of the Northern California Chapter of the California Librarians Black Caucus (CLBC), and assisted to facilitate the transition to a single, statewide organization. Shirley has chaired the California Librarians Black Caucus Scholarship Committee for several years, and serves as mentor to library personnel ranging from students to early career and seasoned library staff. Despite being retired, Coaston, continues to be active in the library community, the college district and nationally, giving of her time and resources to advocate for libraries at the local, state and national level.

• Susan Curzon
  Susan Curzon’s distinguished career profoundly shaped library services in California, both in academic and public libraries, and her leadership left a lasting impact at the local, state, and national levels. As Dean of the University Library at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) from 1992 to 2010, she transformed the library’s collections and embraced digital innovation.  Following the devastating 1994 Northridge earthquake, she led the ambitious reconstruction of CSUN’s damaged 235,000-square-foot library.  Her impact extended to leading the development of a system-wide information literacy program across 23 campuses. She also championed the CSU Virtual Library initiative, which broadened digital access for students statewide. Previously, Sue directed the City of Glendale Library system and held key leadership roles within the Los Angeles County Public Library, managing adult services and multiple branches serving diverse communities.  Her influence extended far beyond California. She was named Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year in 1993, a national recognition of her leadership and innovation. She authored multiple books, including Managing the Interview and Managing Change, as well as co-editing Proven Strategies for Building an Information Literacy Program, which became essential reading for librarians nationwide. She was a sought-after speaker, delivering keynote addresses and presentations on topics such as disaster recovery, library management, and the future of libraries. She earned a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, writing her dissertation on executive dissent. She also holds a Master’s degree in Librarianship from the University of Washington and a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California, Riverside. 
  

• Holly Hinman
  Holly Hinman was a library trailblazer, first as the director of the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System, and then as director of Burbank Public Library, and Library Services Manager in Beverly Hills. From 1994 until 2015, when she retired, she was director of the Infopeople Project, the premier collaborative for library innovation and training in California. Following an extensive evaluation and review of previous library leadership efforts in California and elsewhere, she initiated the Eureka! Leadership Program in 2006, thus producing many of today’s library directors. Holly was president of the California Library Association in 1986 and CLA Member of the Year in 2004. She died in 2024.
  

• Dora T. Ho
  Dora T Ho worked for over 26 years at the Los Angeles Public Library including one of the first staff to serve in the then newly minted Young Adult Services Department in the late 1990s. For over 20 years, Dora was an ALA Councilor, including 3 years as an ALA Executive Board member. For over a decade, she has served as the Treasurer for the Joint Council of Librarians of Color. During her long career, she mentored many new librarians, both formally and informally, through the UCLA Mentorship program and the APALA Mentorship program, as well as through her involvement and connections with various other professional development organizations.
  

• Dr. Charles Monell, M.D. 
  Dr. Charles Monell, M.D. has demonstrated an exceptional record of leadership and dedication to California’s library community over more than four decades. He served with distinction as a member of the California Library Services Board from 1980 to 1994 — appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, Willie Brown — where he helped shape policy and funding priorities that strengthened library services statewide. He was also a founding board member of the California State Library Foundation. By championing state funding opportunities and building strong partnerships with civic leaders, he helped demonstrate the impact that committed local advocates can have on securing sustainable support for public libraries.
  

• W. Elmo Reavis (1877-1959) 
  W. Elmo Reavis established the Pacific Library Binding Company in Los Angeles in 1912 to focus solely on bookbinding for libraries. Mr. Reavis taught bookbinding classes at the Los Angeles Public Library Training School (1913-1932), and the Riverside Library Service School (1914-1922). It was important to Reavis that librarians understood bookbinding so they could make informed choices about what sort of binding and lettering, they needed in order to maximize their budgets. He patented several pieces of bookbinding machinery that were used universally, most notably a book sewing machine manufactured by the Oversewing Machine Company, a company that he co-founded to manufacture bookbinding machinery in 1918.
  

• C. James Schmidt 
  

  C. James “Jim” Schmidt was former university librarian and professor emeritus at San Jose State University (SJSU) School of Information. A career librarian, he previously served as library director at State University of New York at Albany and Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He was also vice president and chief operating officer of the Research Libraries Group (1981-1989), a member and chair of ALA's Intellectual Freedom Committee (1985-1989), president of the Freedom to Read Foundation (1990-1992), a recipient of the Robert B Downs Intellectual Freedom Award (1990) and a recipient of the Beta Phi Mu Award (2009). Jim Schmidt was also a subject matter expert on joint-use libraries, following his involvement with the creation of the King Library in San Jose, which is jointly operated by SJSU and San Jose Public Library. Jim Schmidt’s extensive career in California included serving on the California State University Commission on Learning Resources and Instructional Technology, California State University Council of Library Directors, the Networking Task Force for the State Library of California and the Network Advisory Committee on the Library of Congress. His master's degree was from Columbia University and he had a Ph.D. from Florida State University.

• Dr. James Crayton
  Dr. James Crayton has been referred to as the “Godfather of the California Librarians Black Caucus.” Dr. Crayton researched discrimination practices operating in the Los Angeles County Public Library System against minority librarians in the 1960s and early 1970s. Crayton is a lifetime member of the NAACP, has served on the Board of Governors with the Urban League and was active both with ALA and CLA. James Crayton received his PhD in Higher Education from Claremont Graduate School in 1980. He has a M.A. in Education, Instructional Media, an MLS in Library Science and B.S. in History.
  
• James Dawe
  Jim Dawe saw libraries as the “great equalizer” and always noted that access to learning through libraries had contributed to his success in life. He served as Chair of the San Diego Library Commission, the California State Library Board, the Urban Libraries Council, which is comprised of the 120 largest library systems in the United States, and was the Founding Chair of the San Diego Public Library Foundation. One of his happiest achievements was the opening of the new San Diego Central Library in 2013. He was also instrumental in the 2000 California State Bond Measure that would lead to $350 million for libraries across the state.
  
• Lesley Farmer
  For 25 years, Lesley Farmer was professor and coordinator of the teacher librarian program at California State University, Long Beach, where she taught educational technology and fostered Information and Communication Technology literacy. She is also a prolific author, contributing 35 books and over 200 articles to the professional literature. Her numerous honors include the American Library Association’s 2020 Ken Haycock Leadership Award. In 2018, she received CSULB’s outstanding professor award. Lesley received her MSLS from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in 1972, and her Ed.D. from Temple University in 1983. She retired from CSULB in 2024.
  
• Suzanne Flint
  During her time as a California State Library Programs Consultant (2005-2018), Flint created a robust program for librarians to become Touchpoints training facilitators throughout California. Flint fostered a partnership with Boston Children’s Hospital to design a program based on pediatrician Thomas Berry Brazelton’s Touchpoints, a developmental paradigm based on understanding key growth stages while supporting parental mastery. Flint bravely spearheaded the importance of play in California libraries for kids age 5 and under, especially. Working with Family Place Libraries, she helped develop a statewide model and grant opportunity via the State Library to implement play-based services in public libraries. Her state and national partnerships made a significant impact in the current model of youth services for California libraries.
  
• Sarah M. Jacobus
  Sarah M. Jacobus led the Pomona Public Library from 1906 until 1946 after brief positions at the Los Angeles Public Library and the Kamehameha School for Boys in Honolulu. She mentored library workers, advocated for collaboration in librarianship, and championed local history. In addition to being a committed member of the California Library Association, Jacobus started a training course at the Pomona Public Library beginning in 1908, and led the Pomona Public Library through two world wars, the Great Depression, and the Spanish flu epidemic. She instigated an historical society, championed librarianship, built a strong relationship with local schools, and made the library an important fixture in Southern California.
  
• Joyce Madkins Sumbi
  Library colleagues viewed Joyce Madkins Sumbi as a mentor and inspiration to librarians throughout the state. After obtaining her MLS from USC, Sumbi joined the Los Angeles County Public Library System in 1960, and remained there until she retired in 1992, serving as the first African-American Regional Administrator in the Los Angeles County Library System. She was known for bringing multicultural programming to Los Angeles libraries, was named a “Living History Maker” by Turning Point magazine in 1994, and won the Phyllis Wheatley Award from The International Black Writers and Artists. Sumbi and other black colleagues worked with the officers of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association to form the California Librarians Black Caucus.
  
• Beth Wrenn-Estes
  Beth Wrenn-Estes’s record of leadership within the California Library Association and other statewide library groups is exemplary. Her diverse academic course offerings and accolades, including the SJSU iSchool’s Outstanding Teacher Award and The Distinguished Service Award, underscore her dedication to academic excellence and student mentorship in particular. A champion of MLIS students, she created the Student Representative role on the California Library Association Board. Wrenn-Estes has left an indelible mark on the landscape of California library services by bridging the gap between research and practice. Throughout her journey from Colorado to California, she has positioned herself as a thought-leader driving innovation and evidence-based practices within the library community, enriching library services nationwide.

2023 Hall of Fame Honorees

• Martha Boaz (1911-1995)– Martha Boaz was dean of the University of Southern California’s library school from 1955 until 1978—the longest-serving and possibly the most influential dean in the school’s history. In an era when most U.S. library schools were run by men, Martha Boaz was a dominant force in library education in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. She served as president of the Association of American Library Schools (1962-63) as well as the California Library Association (1962). Through her work in CLA, she also played an important role in making regional library systems a hard-fought reality in California.

• Kim Ly Bui (Bui-Burton) – Kim Ly Bui known professionally as Bui-Burton was the first Vietnamese-American Library Director in the country, apppinted in 2004 to Monterey Public Library . Kim was elected the first Vietnamese American president of CLA in 2010. Believing that libraries, and librarians, belong everywhere, Kim became Monterey’s Library and Community Services Director in 2010. She increased the city’s economic base with a $60 million conference center renovation and expanded access to library archives and museums through heritage tourism initiatives. After retirement in 2017, as President of the Friends, Kim led a capital campaign to renew the Pacific Grove Library and serves as Chair of Pacific Grove’s Diversity, Equity and Inclsion Task Force.

• Rick Burke – Burke was founding Executive Director of Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium (SCELC), a nonprofit organization founded in 1986 to provide a range of cost-effective services and resources to academic and research libraries in California. Over the years, Burke’s visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to the mission of SCELC have helped transform the consortium into a leading force in the library community. Burke’s achievements are many, and they demonstrate his unique contributions to the library profession in California.

• Kikue Ukai Fujii (1903-1978) – Kikue Ukai Fujii was the first Japanese American to be employed in a Pacific Coast public library in 1928 or 1929 at the Oakland Public Library. In 1930, she became a catalog typist, her primary position throughout her career. She was the first Japanese American on the West Coast to pass a catalog-typist civil service exam in 1937.  During her career, she regularly contributed literary columns and poetry to the New World Sun, a San Francisco-based Japanese American newspaper as well as to other Japanese American newspapers. In her youth, she was injured in a roller-skating accident that left her deaf and blind in one eye.

• Terry Jackson (1951-2022) - Terry worked at the San Bruno Public Library for 32 years from 1975 to 2007 moving her way up to Director of Library Services. During her time at San Bruno Public Library, she implemented innovative programs such as one of the first Library of Things, checking out sewing patterns. After retiring from San Bruno Library, worked with Peninsula Library System (PLS) for another decade. She became a Special Projects Consultant for PLS during the transitional period when the California State Library asked library cooperatives to consolidate. She was essential to the creation of Pacific Library Partnership and NorthNet Library System.

• Eleanor Brodie Jones(1872-1929) – Eleanor Brodie Jones was librarian in charge of the Hollywood Public Library beginning in 1908. She continued after annexation to Los Angeles in 1910 until 1926. As a result of her innovative library programs as well as her outreach efforts, she made the library a key player in the growth of Hollywood, both as an industry and as a community. The library assisted actors and others in the movie industry with research. She even extended library service to guests at the Hollywood Hotel. She was also involved in community activities including the creation of the Hollywood Studio Club for women who worked in the movie business, the founding of the Hollywood Bowl and community club activity.

• Irene Stone- Irene Stone made outstanding contributions to the development and establishment of California State Agency Libraries throughout the state, and the development of standards for the delivery of library services to the California Legislature and the Governor's Office. It was her expertise and commitment to excellence that set the stage for the Assembly Office of Research to offer their collections to the State Library and the additional responsibility for supporting their research needs by financially supporting the establishment of the Capitol Branch of the State Library.

2022 Hall of Fame Inductees

• Helen Elizabeth Haines (1872-1961) – Haines was a writer, book reviewer, library school instructor, and lecturer. When the Los Angeles County board of supervisors required all county employees to sign a loyalty oath against communism in 1947, Haines urged ALA to oppose the mandate. They did not, so Haines rewrote the Library Bill of Rights.
  
• Robert Hayes (1926-2022) – A mathematics lecturer at UCLA since 1952, Hayes was instrumental in helping create what would eventually become the UCLA Graduate School of Library and Information Science, where he was appointed dean in 1974. During his 14-year tenure as dean, he recruited an almost entirely new faculty, developed international programs, and established the school’s top-tier ranking in the field. 
• Robert Karatsu – Karatsu has had a varied career beginning as a Peace Corps volunteer setting up a public library in Labasa, Fiji right out of library school. He’s worked as a research librarian for Western Costume Company in Hollywood. After returning to public libraries, he led the Rancho Cucamonga Public Library, while he was library director, in 2013 in winning the Institute of Museum and Library Services National Medal, the highest honor that the federal government can bestow on an American museum or library. Karatsu was the President of the California Library Association in 2014.
• Cindy Mediavilla – Nationally-recognized expert in the area of outcomes-based planning and evaluation, Mediavilla co-wrote the book on outcome measures, Five Steps of Outcome-Based Planning and Evaluation for Public Libraries. She taught at the San Jose State School of Library and Information Science for 9 years and then at the UCLA Department of Information Studies for over 16 years. She was given the UCLA Library and Information Studies Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni award in 2005. Mediavilla led the campaign to create a California Library Hall of Fame, for which she chaired the selection committee for 10 years (2012-21) and served as president of the California Library Association in 2001.

2021 Hall of Fame Inductees

• Michael Buckland – Professor emeritus and former dean of the School Library and Information Studies at UC Berkeley, as well as author of the seminal article “Information as Thing,” published in 1991.

• Hiroshi Kashiwagi (1922-2019) – Japanese American author, poet, actor, civil rights activist, and librarian, who developed the west coast’s largest collection of Japanese language materials at the Western Addition Branch of San Francisco Public Library.

• Bonny White – Retired deputy director of Marin County Free Library, who created, supported and nurtured critical services to underserved communities, including providing first-level immigration services to undocumented people seeking a legal pathway to U.S. citizenship.

2020 Hall of Fame Inductees

• Elizabeth Martinez - Co-founded REFORMA in 1971, Director of the Orange County library director (1979 - 90), Director of the Los Angeles Public Library (1990), Executive Director of the American Library Association (1994 - 1997), Director of the Salinas Public Library (2007), Adjunct Faculty for the San José State University School of Information and serves on the library commission of the New Mexico State Library. Other honors include the ALA Equality Award (2013), Hispanic Librarian of the Year (1990), Orange County Women of Achievement Award (1986), and Hispanic Women Recognition Award (1982). In 1996, Martinez was named one of “100 Outstanding Hispanics” by Hispanic Magazine. 
• Laura Steffens Suggett (1874-1946) - Laura Steffens served as Chief of California State Library’s new Extension Department (1903 - 1923), founding editor of News Notes of California Libraries, in 1917 was an administer in the new Sutro Library, and in 1924 self-published the highly influential book, The Beginning and the End of the Best Library Service in the World, a fitting tribute to the major outreach services she had developed for the state as well as the nation.

2019 Hall of Fame Inductees

• Chuck Ashton (1948-2019) - Youth services manager at Redwood City Public Library, served on ALA’s Caldecott and School Age Programs and Service Committee as well as CLA’s Beatty Award Committee, was known for his popular Families for Literacy storyhours and as a result was awarded CLA’s first Outstanding Librarian in Support of Literacy award (2003).
• Luis Herrera - Retired director of San Francisco Public Library (2005-2018), Pasadena Public Library director, president of CLA (1993), Public Library Association (2003-2004), and REFORMA (1982-1983), founding board member of the Digital Public Library of America, appointed in 2012 to the Institute of Museum and Library Services board by president Barack Obama, and Library Journal Librarian of the Year (2012).
• Susan Hildreth - Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (2011-2015), State Librarian of California (2004-2009), San Francisco Public Library director (2001-2004), California Library Association president (2004), and, though now retired, currently serves as an Aspen Institute fellow.
• Gary Kurutz - Special collections librarian emeritus for the California State Library, key figure in planning the recent remodel of the State Library’s Stanley Mosk Library and Courts Building, lecturer for UCLA’s California Rare Book School, author and editor of the California State Library Foundation Bulletin, and library history speaker extraordinaire.
• Dorothea Nelson- Second city librarian for the Santa Maria Public Library (1934-1968), oversaw construction of a new library in 1941 and subsequent remodels, worked tirelessly to revamp Santa Barbara County Library service zones, and served as the first president of CLA’s Black Gold District (1963).
• Virginia A. Walter - Former chair of and now professor emerita at UCLA Department of Information Studies, president of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) (2000-2001), ALA representative to International Federation of Library Associations’ (IFLA) standing committees on Libraries for Children and Young People (2001-2005) and Reading and Literacy (2007-2011), author and contributor to sixteen monographs, and mentor to hundreds of children’s librarians.
• Binnie Tate Wilkin - Professional storyteller and library consultant, one of the first African-American librarians to teach as adjunct faculty for several library schools including UCLA and UC Berkeley, honored by both the California Black Librarians Caucus and Black Caucus of ALA, and author of African American Librarians of the Far West: Pioneers and Trailblazers (2006).

2018 Hall of Fame Inductees

• Betty Blackman currently retired, was dean of libraries at the California State University, Dominguez Hills, served as American Library Association board member, and was the first African-American person to be appointed dean of libraries by CSU.
• Rue Randall Clifford (1887-1964), a high school teacher, acquired Carnegie funds to create the South San Francisco Public Library, where she served as secretary to the library board for 37 years.
• Mabel Gillis (1882-1961) served as the first woman to be appointed California state librarian, a position she held for 22 years, and was a mentor to many young, mostly female librarians throughout the state.
• Andrew Smith Hallidie (1834-1900), president of the Mechanics Institute of San Francisco, California’s oldest library to serve the public, helped draft the Rogers Act, which authorized California cities to establish public libraries and levy property taxes to fund library service.
• J. Myron (Mike) Jacobstein (1920-2005) was Stanford University law librarian and professor of law, co-authored eight editions of the basic textbook Fundamentals of Legal Research and was one of the original editors of what eventually became the legal periodical index LegalTrac.
• John Jewell (1940-2017) was the California State Library’s first microcomputer specialist, developed the online publication Studies in the News for state leaders, and ultimately served as chief of State Library services.
• Frances Linn (1873-1962), Santa Barbara’s first public library director,was, as California Library Association vice president in 1927, responsible for creating and distributing the famous orange signs designating county library outlets throughout the state.
• Everett Perry (1876-1933), director of the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) for 23 years and president of the California Library Association in 1917, is best known for building LAPL’s iconic central library, one of the most significant public buildings in Los Angeles.

2017 Hall of Fame Inductees

• Telsa Kelso (1863-1933) was an early director of the Los Angeles Public Library and one of the profession's most progressive and influential pioneers.
• Effie Lee Morris (1921-2009), who established the Effie Lee Morris Historical and Research Collection at San Francisco Public Library, was a visionary who recognized the power of literacy and education in overcoming racism, inequality and poverty.
  
• Waynn Pearson (1941-2017) was mentor to many as well as the mastermind behind the award-winning Cerritos "experience library," innovatively designed from the user's point of view.

2016 Hall of Fame Inductees

• Ray Bradbury (1920-2012), one of the greatest authors of the 20th century, was a passionate supporter of libraries.
• Linda Crowe (1937-  ), is co-founder of Califa, led the merger of four cooperative library systems into the Pacific Library Partnership, and is a tireless advocate of robust broadband connectivity. 
  
• Mary Foy (1862-1962), was the first female chief librarian of Los Angeles Public Library.
  
• Anne Hadden (1874-1963), was the first director of the Monterey County Free Library and the inspiration for Patricia Beatty's Eight Mules from Monterey.
  
• May Dexter Henshall (1867-1962), was a prominent school and county library organizer in the early 1900s.
• Rosamond Parma (1884-1946), was the University of California's first law librarian and first female president of the American Association of Law Libraries.
• Joseph Cummings Rowell (1853-1938), was UC Berkeley's first full-time librarian and first president of the California Library Association (1895-97).
• Frances Clarke Sayers(1897-1989), was a renowned children's librarian, author, and library school educator.

2015 Hall of Fame Inductees

• George T. Clark (1862-1940), early deputy state librarian and one of the original founders of CLA
• Ruth Stoever Fleming (1910-1995), early 20th-century school librarian who collected and curated a nationally-recognized collection of California art for her library
• Kate Foley (1873-1940), 1st librarian of the state library's library for the blind
• Carleton B. Joeckel (1886-1960), initiator of the "larger units of service" movement that eventually led to the creation of California's regional library systems
• Ella Morgan (1876-1958), California's 1st school librarian
• Dr. Gail Schlachter (1943-2015), Librarian, leader, mentor, author, publisher, and philanthropist

2014 Hall of Fame Inductees

• Clara Breed (1909-1994), Former director of San Diego Public Library, who is perhaps best known for her advocacy on behalf of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II
• Ina Coolbrith (1841-1928), Early Oakland city librarian and California’s first poet laureate
• Harriet G. Eddy (1876-1966), California’s first county library organizer, who also helped develop library services in Russia
• Liz Gibson (1942-2013), Popular California State Library consultant, who was a main force in helping libraries automate statewide
• Barbara Jeffus (1946-   ), Recently retired school library consultant for the California Department of Education, who advocated on behalf of libraries at both the state and national levels
• Charles Lummis (1859-1928), Colorful Southwestern cultural leader and early director of the Los Angeles Public Library
• Joseph A. Rosenthal (1929-2012), Former university librarian at UC Berkeley, who helped establish the Research Libraries Group
• David Sabsay (1931-2010), Former Sonoma county librarian and key architect behind the Public Library Development Act, which enabled the creation of regional systems in California

2013 Hall of Fame Inductees

• Essae Martha Culver (1882-1973), rural libraries pioneer, county librarian of Glenn, Butte, and Merced counties, and president of the American Library Association
• Adelaide Hasse (1868-1953), created the Superintendent of Documents Classification System still in use today, wrote countless books and library articles, established the first library-training program in California, and was named one of the 100 most influential library leaders of the 20th century
• Huell Howser (1945-2013), library and literacy advocate, TV host, and overall California booster
• John Kallenberg (1942-2011), Fresno County Librarian, library advocate, and president of both the California Library Association and California Library Services Board
• Ida May Reagan (1875-1971), county library organizer, and Butte County's first county librarian, a true "woman of the west"
• Gretchen Knief Schenk (1901-1989), intellectual freedom defender, county library organizer, prolific author, and Washington State Librarian
• Dr. Kevin Starr (1940-2017), California State Librarian, historian, beloved author, and eloquent library spokesperson
• Althea Warren (1886-1958), beloved Los Angeles Public Library director and president of both the California and American Library Association
• William Henry Weeks (1864-1936), created more Carnegie libraries in California than any other architect, made library users feel a part of something larger than life

2012 Hall of Fame Inductees

• James Gillis (1857-1917), former California State Librarian and architect of California's county library system.
• Michael Gorman (1941-    ), retired California State University, Fresno, library director, prolific author, and American Library Association president in 2005/06.
• Zoia Horn (1918-2014), noted intellectual freedom advocate.
• Carma Leigh (1904-2009), former California State Librarian and federal funding advocate.
• Miriam Matthews (1905-2003), first certified African-American librarian in California and intellectual freedom advocate during the McCarthy era.
• Ursula Meyer (1927-2011), California Library Association president in 1977/78 and former director of Stockton-San Joaquin library.
• Regina Minudri (1937-    ), outspoken proponent for public libraries, California Library Association president in 1980/81, and American Library Association president in 1986/87.
• Lawrence Clark Powell (1906-2001), founder of the University of California, Los Angeles, library school, academic librarian, prolific author, and California Library Association president in 1949/50.
• Harry Rowe (1921-2014), retired director of several public libraries in California and the California Library Association's longest continuous member.
• Gary Strong (1944-    ), former California State Librarian and retired director of the University of California, Los Angeles libraries.