Librarian - Women Librarians

Women Librarians

Librarianship manifests a dual career structure for men and women in the United States. Top positions such as Librarian of Congress have been held by men since the establishment of the Library of Congress. Women, however, have made continuous progress toward equality. Women have been largely left out of standard histories of U.S. librarianship, but Hildenbrand's scholarly assessment of the work done by women expanded the historical record. The Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship (COSWL) of the American Library Association represents the diversity of women's interest within ALA and ensures that the Association considers the rights of the majority (women) in the library field; to promote and initiate the collection, analysis, dissemination, and coordination of information on the status of women in librarianship. The bibliographic history of women in U.S. librarianship and women librarians developing services for women has been well-documented in the series of publications initially issued by the Social Responsibilities Round Table Task Force on Women and later continued by COSWL.