Effie Lee Morris

Effie Lee Morris
Morris in 1970
Born(1921-04-20)April 20, 1921
Richmond, Virginia, US
DiedNovember 9, 2009(2009-11-09) (aged 88)
San Francisco, California, US
EducationUniversity of Chicago
Western Reserve University (BA, BLS, MLIS)
OccupationChildren's librarian
Known forLibrary services and advocacy for children, minorities, and the visually impaired

Effie Lee Morris (April 20, 1921 – November 9, 2009) was an African American children's librarian, educator, and activist, best known for her pioneering public library services for minorities and the visually-impaired.[1] Morris developed Cleveland Public Library's first Negro History Week and was New York Public Library's first children's specialist for visually-impaired patrons. She was the first coordinator of children's services at San Francisco Public Library, where she was also the first African American to hold an administrative position.[2]

An active leader in advocacy organizations, Morris served as president of the Public Library Association—the first woman and first African American person to do so.[3] Morris also served on the committees for prominent children's book awards, including the Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, and Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal (now known as the Children's Literature Legacy Award).[4] Morris wrote the original selection criteria for the Coretta Scott King Award to become an official award for the American Library Association (ALA) in 1982.[5]

Morris received many distinguished awards during her lifetime and posthumously. The ALA conferred their highest honor, honorary membership, on Morris in 2008.[6][7] In 2017, she was inducted posthumously into the California Library Association's Hall of Fame.[8]

  1. ^ Zalusky, Steve (June 15, 2010). "Effie Lee Morris honored for her work as a librarian, advocate for underserved children and the visually impaired". ALA News. American Library Association. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  2. ^ Wilkin, Binnie Tate (2006). "Effie Lee Morris: Retired Children's Services Coordinator, San Francisco Public Library". African American Librarians in the Far West: Pioneers and Trailblazers. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. pp. 155–156. ISBN 978-0-8108-5156-6.
  3. ^ Orange, Satia Marshall (2012). "Pay It Forward for Effie Lee Morris: A Tribute". In Jackson, Andrew P.; Jefferson Jr., Julius C.; Nosakhere, Akilah S. (eds.). The 21st-Century Black Librarian in America: Issues and Challenges. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 253. ISBN 978-0-8108-8245-4.
  4. ^ Harris, Violet (Summer 2001). "An Interview with Effie Lee Morris". The New Advocate: For Those Involved with Young People and Their Literature. 14 (3): 280.
  5. ^ Thompkins, Joyce Hollmon (1993). An annotated bibliography of the Coretta Scott King Award Books from 1970–1990. Atlanta, GA: Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta University. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  6. ^ Kempf, JoAnne (March 1, 2008). "ALA names three honorary members". American Library Association. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  7. ^ "Honorary Member: Effie Lee Morris". American Libraries. 39 (8): 39. September 2008.
  8. ^ "California Library Hall of Fame". California Library Association. Retrieved April 21, 2019.