Patricia Wilson Berger (May 1, 1926 – March 27, 2011) was a special and administrative librarian who worked in several professional organizations throughout her career. Later on, she became the president 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 a member of the

Chi Omega Chi Omega (, also known as ChiO) is a women's fraternity and a member of the National Panhellenic Conference, the umbrella organization of 26 women's fraternities. Chi Omega has 181 active collegiate chapters and approximately 240 alumnae chapte ...

and Cosmos Club.

Life and education

Patricia Wilson Berger was born May 1, 1926, to Thomas Decatur Wood and Nina Hughes. She earned her

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

Degree from

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

in 1965 and then her

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

degree at the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

in 1974. She married George H.C. Berger on May 20, 1970.

Career

During her career, Berger worked as a special and administrative librarian in several different organizations. These organizations include the

National Bureau of Standards The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical sci ...

, the

Institute of Defense Analysis An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes can ...

, the

United States Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexa ...

, and the

Environmental Protection Agency A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

. From there, she became the president of The American Library Association (ALA) in 1989 and held the position until 1990. While Berger was president of the ALA, she created a committee to help oversee the policies related to preservation. This committee is called The President's Committee on Preservation Policy. Patricia was also involved in the District of Columbia Library Association, Federal Librarians Round table, ALA's executive board, Virginia State Library Board, ALA Council, Freedom to Read Foundation and the Special Libraries Association.

Awards

In 2001, Berger was awarded the District of Columbia Library Association President's Award as well as The Catholic University of America's Distinguished Alumna Award.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berger, Patricia Wilson 1926 births 2011 deaths American librarians American women librarians Presidents of the American Library Association George Washington University alumni Catholic University of America alumni