Posted September 29, 2003.

Supporters Rally to Save Clark Atlanta Library School

Library leaders from across the country are attempting to persuade Clark Atlanta University officials to spare its School of Library and Information Studies—the only accredited library-education program in Georgia. The CAU Board of Directors is expected to make a decision on whether to close the school at the end of the 2004–2005 academic year at an October 16–17 meeting in an apparent move to reduce the university’s already overspent $100-million budget.

American Library Association President Carla Hayden, ALA Past President Betty Turock, and Association for Library and Information Science Education President Louise Robbins are among the many supporters who have written letters to CAU President Walter Broadnax urging officials to keep the school open. The Black Caucus of ALA has also convened a special task force to investigate the potential closure.

“We do not know officially what the president is going to recommend, but given some behaviors we have noticed, we believe that he’s going to recommend closure,” SLIS Dean Arthur Gunn told American Libraries.

Deans and directors of library education programs in the southeast are holding a summit meeting at CAU September 29 to show support for the ALA-accredited library school. The guest speaker is E. J. Josey, professor emeritus in the School of Library and Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh.

Gunn said that 99 students are currently enrolled in CAU’s library school, representing a 29% increase over the previous year. The school has an annual budget of about $800,000 a year, about half of which comes from the state of Georgia.

Posted September 29, 2003.