Richard M. Dougherty (born January 17, 1935) is an American librarian and educator who was the director of libraries at both 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 u ...

and the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. He served as the president of the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

from 1990 to 1991, focusing on bringing attention to information access issues and supporting children's literacy.

Education and career

Dougherty received his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree from

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

in 1959. He went on to earn his

Master of Library Science The Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS), also referred to as the Master of Library and Information Studies, is the master's degree that is required for most professional librarian positions in the United States. The MLIS is a relativ ...

in 1961 and his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

degree in 1963, both from

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

. He held a number of administrative positions in academic libraries, beginning at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...

as the associate director of libraries from 1966 to 1970. From 1972 to 1978 Dougherty held the position of University Librarian at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1978 he began working at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor University Library, serving as library director from 1978 to 1988. He was a professor of library science at the University of Michigan School of Library Science from 1978 to 1997, and for a short time served as the acting dean of the school (from 1984 to 1985). As a professor, Dougherty focused his instruction on issues of professional management, ethics, and values. He retired from the University of Michigan at the end of 1997. After retiring he started his own consulting firm, Dougherty and Associates.

Library leadership

In addition to authoring many articles and books, Dougherty helped establish the

Journal of Academic Librarianship ''The Journal of Academic Librarianship'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that covers all topics dealing with academic libraries. The journal publishes book reviews, analytical articles, and bibliographic essays. It was established in 1975 and ...

when it began in 1975 and remained as an editor until 1994. He was elected to serve as the 1990-1991 president of the American Library Association (ALA). During his time as ALA president, Dougherty promoted children's literacy and reading, as well as calling attention to the importance of information access issues. Dougherty was named the

Association of College and Research Libraries The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association, is a professional association of academic librarians and other interested individuals. It is dedicated to enhancing the ability of academi ...

Academic or Research Librarian of the Year for 1983, specifically citing his editor role of professional journals, his service to ALA and its divisions, and his leadership as a library administrator at the University of Michigan, the University of Colorado, and the University of California. He was the first recipient of the ALA's Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award in 1988, recognizing the accomplishments of an academic librarian in improving library services. In 1997 he was awarded the Joseph W. Lippincott Award, given by ALA for "distinguished service to the profession of librarianship".

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dougherty, Richard M. Living people American librarians Presidents of the American Library Association Purdue University alumni Rutgers University alumni University of Michigan faculty 1935 births