Anita Schiller was named Honorary Member of the American Library Association at the Association's Annual Conference in 2007. She is pictured here immediately after receiving the award with current COSWL Chair, ShinJoung Yeo.
Anita R. Schiller, librarian emerita, University of California, San Diego, was nominated for her groundbreaking efforts to enhance the status of women in librarianship. Through her accomplishments as a researcher, writer, speaker and mentor, Schiller has had a profound impact on the profession.
Schiller first documented a pervasive pattern of gender inequality within the library profession in her 1968 study "Characteristics of Professional Personnel in College and University Libraries." The publication of this study galvanized a generation of women in librarianship to address the inequalities in the profession. Throughout the remainder of the 1960's and the 1970's, Schiller continued to research and document salary disparities between male and female librarians. She disseminated her findings in numerous studies, reports and articles, as well as in seminars, speeches and conference programs.
An active ALA member throughout her career, Schiller has served as a member of the ALA Council, the SRRT Feminist Task Force, the Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship, and the President's Task Force on Better Salaries and Pay Equity for Library Workers. In 1985, Schiller was awarded the ALA Equality Award for an outstanding contribution towards promoting equality between men and women in the library profession.
