CEO DATELINE - American Library Association removes Dewey name from medal
CEO DATELINE - American Library Association removes Dewey name from medal
- June 26, 2019 |
- Walt Williams
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His name may grace the system many libraries use to organize their collections, but Mevil Dewey will no longer be associated with the American Library Association's highest honor as a result of his racism, antisemitism and treatment of women.
The Council of ALA voted Sunday to remove Dewey's name from the Mevil Dewey Medal, the news site Inside Higher Ed reported. The medal is an annual honor that recognizes creative leadership in the library field. Dewey, who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is one of ALA's founders and the inventor of the Dewey Decimal System used by libraries across the world to classify and organize books and other media.
However, Dewey himself was a problematic figure. He resigned from the role of New York State Librarian in 1905 after being publicly rebuked for banning African American, Jews and other minorities from his private resort. He also sexually harassed multiple women under his supervision.
In revoking his name from the medal, ALA cited both Dewey's decision to exclude minorities from his resort as well as his "numerous inappropriate physical advances toward women he worked with and wielded professional power over," according to Inside Higher Ed. The publication didn't report whether a new name for the medal was chosen. http://bit.ly/2RzrkWk
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