Richard Chabrán named recipient of SRRT's Herb Biblo Outstanding Leadership Award for Social Justice & Equality

The Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) of the American Library Association has named Richard Chabrán as the 2026 winner of the Herb Biblo Outstanding Leadership Award for Social Justice & Equality. 

The $4000 award is funded by an SRRT/ALA endowment and Library Juice Academy, and the purpose of this award is to recognize an individual for outstanding leadership in promoting social justice and/or equality within the library profession. 

Richard Chabrán is being recognized for his extensive and long term contributions to the profession within REFORMA and his work on the Chicano Thesaurus and the Chicano Periodical Index. His work has been widely recognized. Previous honors include the 2012 Achievement in Library Diversity Research and the National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies 2003 NACCS Scholar Award to recognize life achievement contributions to the field. 

From the nominator

“Richard Chabrán has dedicated his career to promoting social justice and equity within the library profession and beyond. His entry into librarianship was sparked by his desire to preserve and share the stories of Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x communities, stories that were largely missing from academic and community libraries when Chabrán began his library career in the 1970s. One of his first library jobs was coordinating the Chicano Studies Library at UC Berkeley. It was a small library that became one of the nation’s leading Chicana/o/x Studies libraries, thanks to Chabrán’s vision, dedication and thoughtful leadership.

In light of Chabrán's lifelong commitment to social justice and community empowerment and his outstanding contributions to librarianship, I enthusiastically nominate him for the Herb Biblo Outstanding Leadership Award for Social Justice & Equality. While officially retired, Chabrán continues to document and share culture. He is an active member of Reforma, The National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking, currently serves on the Latino Digital Archive Group, is a frequent speaker at national conferences and recently helped produce Bibliopolítica, an online audiovisual history of the Chicano Studies Library. Chabrán’s life work embodies the values of social justice and Equality.”

About SRRT

The Social Responsibilities Round Tables (SRRT) is a unit within the American Library Association. It works to make ALA more democratic and to establish progressive priorities not only for the Association but also for the entire profession. Concern for human and economic rights was an important element in the founding of SRRT and remains an urgent concern today. SRRT believes that libraries and librarians must recognize and help solve social problems and inequities in order to carry out their mandate to work for the common good and bolster democracy.

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association (ALA) is the only non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated entirely to America's libraries and library professionals. For almost 150 years, ALA has provided resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. The ALA serves academic, public, school, government, and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library's role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit www.ala.org.