Charles Clarence Williamson (January 26, 1877January 11, 1965) was the Director of

Columbia University Libraries Columbia University Libraries is the library system of Columbia University and one of the largest academic library systems in North America. With 15.0 million volumes and over 160,000 journals and serials, as well as extensive electronic resources ...

and Dean of the

Columbia University School of Library Service The Columbia University School of Library Service was a school dedicated to education for librarianship that was part of Columbia University in New York City. It was founded by Melvil Dewey and began operation in 1887 as the Columbia College Schoo ...

from 1926 to 1940. He studied economics at Western Reserve College, the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

, and Columbia University before joining the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

in 1911 as the head of a new Division of Economics. Williamson held positions at

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...

, the

, the Carnegie Foundation, and the

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...

. In 1919, he initiated a study of the training for library service in the United States for the Carnegie Foundation. Known as the "Williamson Report," the project was completed in 1921 and published in as
Training for Library Service
'' He established a rationale for research as a component of professional service. His role in the development of education for librarians is discussed in ''The Shaping of American Library Education''. He was honored with the

Beta Phi Mu Award The Beta Phi Mu Award is an annual prize recognizing an individual for distinguished service to education for librarianship. First bestowed in 1954, Award recipients include various prominent leaders in the field of librarianship.George S. Bobinski ...

in 1964. In 1999, Williamson was named as one of 100 American

librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

s who made a lasting impact on library service and the nation."100 of the Most Important Leaders we had in the 20th century" (1999 December) ''

American Libraries ''American Libraries'' is the flagship magazine of the American Library Association (ALA). About ''American Libraries'' was first published in 1970 as a continuation of the long-running ''ALA Bulletin,'' which had served as the Association’ ...

, 30'' (11): 38-46, 48.

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1877 births 1965 deaths People from Salem, Ohio Case Western Reserve University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni American librarians Columbia University librarians {{library-bio-stub