Barbara J. Ford is an American librarian who served as 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 ...

from 1997 to 1998. She earned a bachelor's degree from

Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockford ...

, a master's degree in International Relations from

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

and a master's degree in library science from the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

. She served in the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F ...

volunteer in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

and

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

. Her professional positions include assistant commissioner for central library services at the

Chicago Public Library The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the City of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, two regional libraries, and branches distributed throughout the ...

; executive director of the

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virginia ...

libraries; and associate library director at Trinity University in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. She has also served in several positions at the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the University of Illinois ...

. Ford was Director of Mortenson Center for International Library Programs at the

Libraries from 2003 to 2014. Ford's ALA Presidential theme was “Libraries: Global Reach – Local Touch” during. Earlier in her career she was president of 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 ...

from 1990- 1991. She served as an elected member of the Governing Board of the

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of people who rely on libraries and information professionals. An independent, non-governmental, not-for-p ...

from 2005 to 2009 and as a member of the U.S. National Commission for

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

from 2011 to 2013.

Honors

The American Librarian Association recognized Barbara Ford's many contributions to the library community by including her in its ALA Legacy Society Honor Roll. She was the inaugural speaker for the

Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture The Jean E. Coleman Library Outreach Lecture presented at the annual conference of the American Library Association (ALA) is tribute to the work of Jean E. Coleman to ensure that all citizens, particularly Native Americans and adult learners, hav ...

. On 22 April 2016 the Illinois Library Association awarded her as an Illinois Library Luminary for her dedication to the field.

Select publications

* "Global Perspectives on Public Libraries." Introduction to Public Librarianship. . New York: Neal-Schuman, 2011. *Ford, Barbara J. "LIS Professionals in a Global Society." The Portable MLIS: Insights from the Experts. . Westport, Ct.: Libraries Unlimited, 2008. 195–203. *Ford, Barbara J. "A Global Leadership Context for Librarians." Thinking Outside the Borders: Library Leadership in a World Community. . Urbana: Mortenson Center, 2008. 8-16. *"Developing an International Library Leadership Institute: Thinking Outside the Borders." Continuing Professional Development: Pathways to Leadership in the Library and Information World. . Munchen: K.G. Saur, 2007. 40–56. *Ford, Barbara J. "Librarians: Our Reach Is Global and Our touch Is Local." Perspectives, Insights & Priorities: 17 Leaders Speak Freely of Librarianship. . Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2005. 49–54. *"Global Perspectives on Public Libraries." Introduction to Public Librarianship. . New York: Neal-Schuman, 2004. 265–291.Ms. Barbara J Ford. Retrieved May 12, 2016, from University of Illinois website: http://www.globalstudies.illinois.edu/people/bjford

References

Living people American women librarians American librarians Presidents of the American Library Association Illinois Wesleyan University alumni Tufts University alumni University of Illinois School of Information Sciences alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) UNESCO 21st-century American women {{library-bio-stub