Russell Shank (September 2, 1925 – June 26, 2012) was an American librarian. Shank studied electrical engineering at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

and earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1946. He went on to receive a bachelor's in librarianship in 1949, also from the University of Washington. Shank went on to receive a master's in business administration from the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

and a doctorate in library science from

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 ...

. He served as an assistant university librarian at the

University of California Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

from 1959 to 1964 and was a member of the faculty of the Columbia University library school. Shank was the first director of libraries at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

from 1968 to 1977. In 1977, he was named chief librarian at the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) until he retired from that position in 1989. He was succeeded by Gloria Werner. Shank was also a professor emeritus in UCLA's Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. Shank served as President of the American Library Association from 1978 to 1979. Shank was instrumental in forming FEDLINK (the Federal Library and Information Network) and advocated to make Article 19 of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, ...

part of the American Library Association's policy.

Awards and honors

* Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award (1990) * Freedom to Read Foundation Roll of Honor Award (1990)

References

1926 births 2012 deaths American librarians Presidents of the American Library Association Columbia University School of Library Service alumni Columbia University faculty {{Library-bio-stub

Awards and honors

See also

References