Honorary Membership

About the Honorary Membership
Honorary membership may be conferred on a living citizen of any country whose contribution to librarianship or a closely related field is so outstanding that it is of lasting importance to the advancement of the whole field of library service. It is intended to reflect honor upon the ALA as well as upon the individual.

Administered by:

American Library Association logo
NameTitleYear
Dolly PartonDolly Parton2023 - Winner
Maureen SullivanMaureen Sullivan2022 - Recipient
Jim NealJim Neal2022 - Winner
Robert WedgeworthRobert Wedgeworth2021 - Winner
Robert Wedgeworth2020 - Recipient
Carla HaydenCarla Hayden2018 - Recipient
Ann K. SymonsAnn K. Symons2017 - Recipient
Patricia Glass SchumanPatricia Glass Schuman2014 - Recipient
No Awards Given2013 - No Awards Given
No Awards Given2013 - No Awards Given
Jack ReedU. S. Senator, (D, RI)2012 - Recipient
Betty J. TurockProfessor & Dean Emeritus, Rutgers University2012 - Recipient
Yohannes Gebregeorgis2011 - Recipient
No awards given2010 - No Awards Given
Judith F. KrugJudith F. Krug2009 - Recipient
Pat Mora2008 - Recipient
Effie Lee Morris2008 - Recipient
Peggy Sullivan2008 - Recipient
David Cohen2007 - Recipient
Barbara Gittings2007 - Recipient
Alice L. Hagemeyer2007 - Recipient
Anita R. Schiller2007 - Recipient
Alphonse F. Trezza2007 - Recipient
Robert D. Stueart2006 - Recipient
Lotsee F. Patterson2005 - Recipient
Nettie B. Taylor2005 - Recipient
Sanford Berman2004 - Recipient
Norman HorrocksLibrary Educator and Publisher2004 - Recipient
Samuel F. MorrisonPublic Librarian2003 - Recipient
Lucille Cole Thomas2003 - Recipient
E.J. Josey2002 - Recipient
Seymour Lubetzky2002 - Recipient
Arnulfo D. Trejo2001 - Recipient
Jeanne Hurley Simon2000 - Recipient
Vartan Gregorian2000 - Recipient
No awards given1999 - No Awards Given
Wendell Ford1998 - Recipient
K. Wayne Smith1998 - Recipient
Bill Gates1998 - Recipient
Melinda Gates1998 - Recipient
Sidney R. Yates1998 - Recipient
Henriette Avram1997 - Recipient
Oprah Winfrey1997 - Recipient
Pat Williams1996 - Recipient
Eileen Cooke1996 - Recipient
Paul Simon1996 - Recipient
Mark Hatfield1996 - Recipient
Nancy Kassebaum1996 - Recipient
No awards given1995 - No Awards Given
Jimmy Carter1994 - Recipient
Virginia H. Mathews1994 - Recipient
Robert Gordon Vosper1993 - Recipient
Joseph Becker1992 - Recipient
Miriam L. Hornback1991 - Recipient
Robert W. Frase1991 - Recipient
Barbara Bush1990 - Recipient
No awards given1989 - No Awards Given
Ralph E. Ellsworth1988 - Recipient
Elizabeth W. Stone1988 - Recipient
Spencer G. Shaw1988 - Recipient
Eric Moon1987 - Recipient
Frederick Gale Ruffner Jr.1987 - Recipient
Major Owens1987 - Recipient
No awards given1986 - No Awards Given
Virginia G. Young1985 - Recipient
Lester E. Asheim1984 - Recipient
William Ford1984 - Recipient
Jack Dalton1983 - Recipient
Clara Stanton Jones1983 - Recipient
Claiborne Pell1983 - Recipient
Johnny Carson1983 - Recipient
Carl A. Elliott1982 - Recipient
Frederick G. Kilgour1982 - Recipient
George Aiken1982 - Recipient
Virginia Haviland1982 - Recipient
John Brademas1981 - Recipient
Jacob Javits1981 - Recipient
Lawrence Clark Powell1981 - Recipient
Bessie B. Moore1980 - Recipient
Lowell A. Martin1979 - Recipient
Frances Neel Cheney1978 - Recipient
Fred C. Cole1978 - Recipient
William S. DixUniversity Librarian, former ALA President1978 - Recipient
No awards given1977 - No Awards Given
Virginia Lacy JonesLibrary Educator1976 - Recipient
Edmon LowUniversity Librarian1976 - Recipient
Herman Liebaers1976 - Recipient
Allie Beth MartinPublic Librarian, former ALA President1976 - Recipient
Daniel MelcherPublisher1976 - Recipient
Mary U. RothrockPublic Librarian, former ALA President1976 - Recipient
Jesse H. SheraLibrary Educator1976 - Recipient
Mary V. GaverLibrary Educator, former ALA President1976 - Recipient
Robert B. DownsUniversity Librarian, former ALA President1976 - Recipient
Carl PerkinsU.S. Congressman1975 - Recipient
William O. Douglas1975 - Recipient
Augusta BakerChildren's Librarian1975 - Recipient
Alex P. AllainIntellectual Freedom Advocate1975 - Recipient
No awards given1974 - No Awards Given
Germaine Krettek1973 - Recipient
David H. Clift1972 - Recipient
Luther H. EvansLibrarian of Congress1972 - Recipient
Charlemae Rollins1972 - Recipient
Frank Francis1971 - Recipient
Ralph R. Shaw1971 - Recipient
Elizabeth Homer Morton1970 - Recipient
No awards given1969 - No Awards Given
No awards given1968 - No Awards Given
Verner Warren Clapp1967 - Recipient
John E. Fogarty1966 - Recipient
No awards given1965 - No Awards Given
Joseph Lewis Wheeler1964 - Recipient
Edwin C. Austin1963 - Recipient
Keyes DeWitt Metcalf1963 - Recipient
John Miller Chancellor1962 - Recipient
No awards given1961 - No Awards Given
No awards given1960 - No Awards Given
No awards given1959 - No Awards Given
No awards given1958 - No Awards Given
No awards given1957 - No Awards Given
Lister Hill1956 - Recipient
No awards given1955 - No Awards Given
Carleton B. Joeckel1954 - Recipient
Linda A. Eastman1954 - Recipient
Carl Hastings Milam1954 - Recipient
Charles Harvey Brown1954 - Recipient
No awards given1953 - No Awards Given
Harry Miller Lydenberg1952 - Recipient
William Warner Bishop1951 - Recipient
Helen E. Haines1951 - Recipient
Robert MacDonald Lester1951 - Recipient
Louis Round Wilson1951 - Recipient
No awards given1950 - No Awards Given
David H. Stevens1949 - Recipient
No awards given1948 - No Awards Given
No awards given1947 - No Awards Given
No awards given1946 - No Awards Given
Frederick G. Melcher1945 - Recipient
Halsey William Wilson1945 - Recipient
No awards given1944 - No Awards Given
No awards given1943 - No Awards Given
Frederick P. Keppel1942 - Recipient
Theodore S. Chapman1942 - Recipient
No awards given1941 - No Awards Given
Herbert Putnam1940 - Recipient
Frank Pierce Hill1940 - Recipient
John H. Finley1939 - Recipient
Ross A. Collins1938 - Recipient
No awards given 1937 - No Awards Given
No awards given1936 - No Awards Given
No awards given1935 - No Awards Given
No awards given1934 - No Awards Given
William L. Clements1933 - Recipient
Wiberforce Eames1933 - Recipient
Charles Evans1933 - Recipient
Daniel Berkeley UpdikePrinter1933 - Recipient
Richard Rogers BowkerPublisher1933 - Recipient
No awards given1932 - No Awards Given
No awards given1931 - No Awards Given
Elizabeth Sprague CoolidgeBenefactor1930 - Recipient
Herbert Clark HooverU.S. President1929 - Recipient
No awards given1928 - No Awards Given
Charles Alexander NelsonAcademic Librarian1927 - Recipient
No awards given1926 - No Awards Given
No awards given1925 - No Awards Given
No awards given1924 - No Awards Given
No awards given1923 - No Awards Given
No awards given1922 - No Awards Given
No awards given1921 - No Awards Given
No awards given1920 - No Awards Given
Frank A. VanderlipChairman, Library War Council1919 - Recipient
No awards given1918 - No Awards Given
No awards given1918 - No Awards Given
No awards given1917 - No Awards Given
No awards given1916 - No Awards Given
No awards given1915 - No Awards Given
No awards given1914 - No Awards Given
No awards given1913 - No Awards Given
No awards given1912 - No Awards Given
No awards given1911 - No Awards Given
No awards given1910 - No Awards Given
No awards given1909 - No Awards Given
No awards given1908 - No Awards Given
No awards given1907 - No Awards Given
No awards given1906 - No Awards Given
No awards given1905 - No Awards Given
No awards given1904 - No Awards Given
No awards given1904 - No Awards Given
No awards given1903 - No Awards Given
No awards given1902 - No Awards Given
No awards given1901 - No Awards Given
No awards given1900 - No Awards Given
Andrew CarnegieBenefactor1899 - Recipient
Bishop John H. VincentFounder, Chautauqua Institution1898 - Recipient
No awards given1897 - No Awards Given
No awards given1896 - No Awards Given
Anson Judd Upson1895 - Recipient
Charles W. Jencks1895 - Recipient
Ezekiel A. Harris1895 - Recipient
Edward Everett Hale1895 - Recipient
Reuben Aldridge GuildUniversity Librarian1895 - Recipient
Edwin H. Grant1895 - Recipient
Daniel Coit GilmanUniversity President1895 - Recipient
Willard Fiske1895 - Recipient
S. Hastings GrantUniversity Librarian1895 - Recipient
No awards given1894 - No Awards Given
Henry BarnardU.S. Commissioner of Education1893 - Recipient
No awards given1892 - No Awards Given
No awards given1891 - No Awards Given
No awards given1890 - No Awards Given
No awards given1889 - No Awards Given
No awards given1888 - No Awards Given
No awards given1887 - No Awards Given
No awards given1886 - No Awards Given
No awards given1885 - No Awards Given
No awards given1884 - No Awards Given
No awards given1883 - No Awards Given
No awards given1882 - No Awards Given
No awards given1881 - No Awards Given
No awards given1880 - No Awards Given
Frederick O PrinceLibrary Trustee1879 - Recipient
Charles William EliotUniversity President1879 - Recipient