Sadie Peterson Delaney - Professional Associations

Professional Associations

Delaney was active in many professional associations. She served on the advisory board for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for five years. She was a member of the International Library Association and the American Library Association (ALA), where she served on the Council from 1946 to 1951. Delaney was elected councilor of the ALA Hospital Library Division in 1947. She was also a member of the Library of Congress Committee for Work with the Blind.

Delaney worked to join the Alabama Library Association, which did not allow African Americans into its membership at that time. She was eventually invited to join by the president of the Alabama Library Association; however, on April 15, 1951, when the next president took over, her dues were returned and her membership was discontinued. The Association suggested that she start an African American chapter, and Delaney balked at that idea. She cited examples of other professional organizations that had integrated, including library associations in other southern states. Delaney tried again to join the Alabama Library Association two years later, and was met with rejection again.