Michael Gorman (librarian)

For other uses, see Michael Gorman (disambiguation).

Michael Gorman
President of the American Library Association
In office
2005–2006
Preceded byCarol A. Brey-Casiano
Succeeded byLeslie Burger
Personal details
Born (1941-03-06) 6 March 1941 (age 83)
Witney, Oxfordshire, England
OccupationLibrarian
Writing career
GenreLibrarianship
Notable works
  • Our Singular Strengths: Meditations for Librarians (1997)
  • Our Enduring Values (2000)
  • The Enduring Library (2003)
  • Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd ed (2005)

Michael Gorman (born 6 March 1941 in Witney, Oxfordshire)[1] is a British-born librarian, library scholar and editor/writer on library issues noted for his traditional views. During his tenure as president of the American Library Association (ALA), he was vocal in his opinions on a range of subjects, notably technology and education. He currently lives in the Chicago area with his wife, Anne Reuland, an academic administrator at Loyola University.

Gorman's principles of librarianship derive from core liberal, democratic and humanist values.[2] A key influence is S.R. Ranganathan, whom he regarded as "the greatest figure of librarianship in the 20th century."[3] He maintains that it is through focusing on core professional values that librarians will facilitate personal growth and enhance the success of their institutions.[4]

  1. ^ Tammy Lau, Adam Wallace. "Home – Special Collections Research Center – Research Guides at California State University Fresno" (PDF). csufresno.edu.
  2. ^ Line, Maurice B. (2002). "Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the 21st Century200213Michael Gorman.Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the 21st Century. Chicago, IL and London: American Library Association 2000. 188+ix pp., ISBN: 0 8389 0785 7 $28.00 ($25.20 to ALA members)". Journal of Documentation. 58: 133–136. doi:10.1108/jd.2002.58.1.133.13.
  3. ^ Gorman, M. (2000). "Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the 21st Century". p18 ALA Editions. ISBN 0-8389-0785-7
  4. ^ Bridges, K. (2003), Expectations of librarians in the 21st century. p106 London: Greenwood press