Eli Martin Oboler (September 26, 1915 – June 15, 1983) was an American librarian who worked as the longtime

librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...

at the

Idaho State University , mottoeng = "The truth will set you free" , established = , former_names = Academy of Idaho(1901–1915)Idaho Technical Institute(1915–1927)University of Idaho—Southern Branch(1927–1947)Idaho State ...

library, later renamed the Eli M. Oboler Library, from 1949 to 1980. He was also a member of the Idaho Library Association and the

Pacific Northwest Library Association The Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA) is a professional organization for the Pacific Northwest's librarians and library workers headquartered in Bothell, Washington. It has over 200 members from Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho ...

, and served as president for both organizations. Oboler was a noted defender of

intellectual freedom Intellectual freedom encompasses the freedom to hold, receive and disseminate ideas without restriction. Viewed as an integral component of a democratic society, intellectual freedom protects an individual's right to access, explore, consider, and ...

and an anti-

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

activist.

Early life and education

Oboler was born and raised in Chicago. He held degrees from both the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, including a Bachelor of Science degree in

Library Science Library science (often termed library studies, bibliothecography, and library economy) is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and ...

. After his discharge from the army in 1946 Oboler returned to the University of Chicago where he attended its graduate library school.

Career

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Oboler served in the Lend-Lease Expediting Bureau and later in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. Oboler became head librarian of Idaho State College (now Idaho State University) in 1949. He served in that capacity until his retirement in 1980. Oboler was a longtime member of the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

, and held numerous positions with the ALA and the

Association of College and Research Libraries The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association, is a professional association of academic librarians and other interested individuals. It is dedicated to enhancing the ability of academi ...

(ACRL), one of the largest subdivisions of the ALA. Oboler served on the Intellectual Freedom Committees of both the Idaho Library Association and the American Library Association. Shortly before his death in 1983 Idaho State University renamed its library the Eli M. Oboler Library after its longtime librarian. Every two years since 1986 the American Library Association has awarded the Eli M. Oboler Memorial Award for "the best published work in the area of intellectual freedom."

Personal life

Oboler died at his home in Pocatello, Idaho, in 1983 after suffering from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

Bibliography

Oboler authored over 200 publications. He also contributed regularly to several publications including ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'' and the ''

Idaho State Journal The ''Idaho State Journal'' is daily newspaper published in Pocatello, Idaho, United States, that serves southeast Idaho, including Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Caribou, Franklin, Power, and Oneida counties. The paper has a circulation of 17,1 ...

'' in Pocatello. Oboler authored several books on censorship and intellectual freedom, including: *''The Fear of the Word: Censorship and Sex''. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1974. *''Ideas and the University Library: Essays of an Unorthodox Academic Librarian.'' Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1977. *''Defending Intellectual Freedom: The Library and the Censor''. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1980. *''To Free the Mind: Libraries, Technology, and Intellectual Freedom.'' Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1983.

References

External links