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Tracie D. Hall

CV Professor of Practice and Distinguished Practitioner in Residence
Mary Gates Hall 330J ◆ CV

Specializations

  • The Black Information Future
  • Intellectual Freedom and Censorship
  • LIS Leadership and Organizational Development

Research Areas

Biography

Distinguished Practitioner in Residence Tracie D. Hall is the former Executive Director of the American Library Association (ALA), the oldest and largest library association in the world, serving library and educational institutions throughout and beyond the U.S. The first Black woman to helm ALA in its nearly 150-year history, Hall was most recently Visiting Fellow at the University of London’s Royal Holloway College. Hall has served innumerous library and arts leadership positions nationwide. Other posts have included Culture Program Director at The Joyce Foundation where she was recognized for creating numerous programs in support of arts-based community and economic development; Deputy Commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events where she received citations for her work to expand arts, fresh food, and social services access; Vice President of Strategy and Organizational Development at Queens Library where during her tenure she founded the NYC Early Learning Network; Community Investment Strategist and Community Investor for the Boeing Company’s Global Corporate Citizenship division; Assistant Dean of Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science; other library positions at the Hartford Public Library, New Haven Free Public Library, and Seattle Public Library and non-profit and public sector roles across the country.

Holding dual bachelor’s degrees from University of California at Santa Barbara, and master’s degrees from the Yale University School of International and Area Studies and the University of Washington Information School, Hall’s work in library and arts administration has focused on advancing early and adult literacy, expanding broadband access, advocating for library and literacy services for people who are incarcerated. Her innovative work advancing diversity and inclusion in LIS earned her recognition as a Library Journal “Mover & Shaker” early in her career. In 2022, Hall became only the second librarian to be honored with a National Book Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. In April 2023, TIME Magazine named Hall to its annual TIME100 list of the most influential people in the world. In September 2023, Hall followed Rep. John Lewis and journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones in receiving the medal for Freedom of Speech and Free Expression from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Institute. Hall was also named the 2023recipient of the Sojourner Truth Leadership Award 2023 for career-long commitment to diversity and inclusion by Metropolitan Chicago YWCA and recipient of the Public Humanities Beacon Award in 2023 for outstanding contributions to arts and letters in the state of Illinois.

Long committed to adult and family literacy as well as arts and educational access, Hall currently serves on the boards of the Academy of American Poets, College Unbound, Court Theatre, and the Crossroads Fund. Hall’s writings have appeared in various publications including American Libraries, Journal of Library Administration, Obsidian, Public Libraries, and TIME Magazine. She has been profiled by Association Forum, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Chicago Magazine, Forbes, Los Angeles Times, NBC Chicago, National Public Radio, Publishers Weekly, Reckon News, and WTTW.

Education

  • MLIS, University of Washington
  • MA, International and Area Studies, Yale University
  • BA, Black Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
  • BA, Law and Society, University of California, Santa Barbara

Awards

  • 100 Most Influential People - Time Magazine, 2023
  • 50 over 50 - Forbes Magazine, 2023
  • Freedom of Speech Medal - Franklin D. Roosevelt Institute, 2023
  • Public Humanities Beacon Award - Illinois Humanities, 2023
  • Sojourner Truth Leadership Award - Metropolitan Chicago YWCA, 2023
  • Lifetime Achievement Award - National Book Foundation, 2022
  • Mayor’s Citation - City of Chicago, IL, 2016
  • Rising Star Award - Queens, 2012
  • Mover & Shaker - Library Journal, 2004
  • Unsung Heroes Award - City of Hartford, CT, 2003
  • Excellence in Young Adult Services Award - American Library Association, 1999

Publications and Contributions

  • Magazine/Trade Publication
    Human Rights Hero: The Librarian (2024)
    American Bar Association Human Rights Magazine, Vol 49(No. 4: Technology and the Law) Author: Tracie Hall
  • Conference Abstract
    Provocations on iSchools and Librarianship: New Priorities for LIS Forward (2024)
    Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 61(1), pp. 807-811 Authors: Carole L Palmer, Allen Renear, Lorcan Dempsey, Tracie Hall, Gary Marchionini, Mega Subramaniam, Christopher Coward
  • Journal Article, Professional Journal
    Holes at the Bottom of the Boat: Disrupting Performative Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Efforts in Libraries in the Wake of the Covid-19 Pandemic (2023)
    Journal of Library Administration, 63(4), pp. 566-577 Author: Tracie Hall
  • Journal Article, Professional Journal
    Information Redlining: The Urgency to Close the Digital Access and Literacy Divide and the Role of Libraries as Lead Interveners (2022)
    Journal of Library Administration, 61(4), pp. 484-492 Author: Tracie Hall
  • Book, Chapter in Scholarly Book-New
    Passing the Torch: The Tradition of Mentorship among Black Librarians (2022)
    The Black Librarian in America: Reflections, Resistance, and Reawakening Authors: Tracie Hall, Satia Marshall Orange
  • Magazine/Trade Publication
    Defending the Fifth Freedom: Protecting the right to read for incarcerated individuals (2021)
    American Libraries Author: Tracie Hall
  • Magazine/Trade Publication
    Revolutions Where We Stand: We must connect the fights against library and community disinvestment (2021)
    American Libraries Author: Tracie Hall
  • Magazine/Trade Publication
    Ending Information Redlining: The role of libraries in the next wave of the civil rights movement (2020)
    American Libraries Author: Tracie Hall
  • Magazine/Trade Publication
    Necessary Trouble: Eradicating Information Poverty (2020)
    American Libraries Author: Tracie Hall
  • Justice as a Prerequisite for Beauty (2018)
    Author: Tracie Hall
  • Culture as a Human Right (2017)
    Grantmakers in the Arts Reader Author: Tracie Hall
  • Book, Chapter in Scholarly Book-New
    The Black Body at the Reference Desk: A Critical Race Theory of Public Libraries (2012)
    The 21st-century Black librarian in America: issues and challenge Author: Tracie Hall
  • Magazine/Trade Publication
    Race and Place: A Personal Account of Unequal Access (2007)
    American Libraries, 38(2), pp. 30-33 Author: Tracie Hall
  • Diversity Counts: Demographic Study of the Library Workforce in the United States (2006)
    Authors: Denise Davis, Tracie Hall
  • Journal Article, Professional Journal
    Diversity, Recruitment, and Retention: Going from Lip Service to Foot Patrol (2006)
    Public Libraries, 45(1), pp. 39-46 Authors: Tracie Hall, Jenifer Grady
  • Book, Chapter in Scholarly Book-New
    Making the Starting Line-Up: Best Practices for Placing Diversity at the Center of Your Library (2006)
    Achieving Diversity: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians Author: Tracie Hall

Presentations

  • Global Democracy and the Rise of Censorship (2024)
    University of London’s Royal Holloway College - Egham, England
  • Navigating White Spaces as a BIPOC Library Worker (2024)
    RAILS – Reaching Across Illinois Library System - Illinois
  • Provocations on iSchools and Librarianship: New Priorities for LIS Forward (2024)
    2024 ASIS&T Annual Meeting - Calgary, Canada
  • The Right and the Responsibility of Freedom (2024)
    University College Roosevelt Commencement - Middleburg, Netherlands
  • Censorship as an Impediment to Children’s Health (2023)
    American Academy of Pediatrics Annual Conference - Washington, D.C.
  • Compulsory (il) Literacies: Intersecting Race, Information Redlining, and Limitations on the Right to Read (2023)
    Henry Cohen Lecture Series - New York, NY
  • The Rise of Censorship in the Modern Republic: How the Right to Read Became the Civil Rights Issue of our Time (2023)
    State Library of Victoria - Melbourne, Australia
  • Race, Redlining, and Resistance: Libraries in the Making of the Next Civil Rights Movement (2022)
    Bobinski Lecture, University of Buffalo - Buffalo, NY
  • Fighting Two Pandemics: Information Poverty and What Libraries Can Do to Close the Gap (2020)
    Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library Staff Day - Charlotte, NC
  • Information Redlining: The Urgency to Close the Socioeconomic Divide and the Role of Libraries as Lead Interveners (2020)
    CILIP, United Kingdom Library Assn. Annual Conference - Virtual
  • Out of the Loop: Why Information Inequity May be the Civil Rights Crisis of Our Time (2020)
    Library Leadership Ohio - Virtual
  • Investing in the Creative Industries in Chicago (2018)
    Grantmakers in the Arts Annual Conference - Oakland, CA
  • Seeing the Unseen: Supporting Grassroots Community Stewardship (2018)
    Washington Regional Area Grantmakers - Washington, D.C.
  • This is Libraries’ Hour: Ten Areas Where and Why Libraries Should Lead (2018)
    Chicago Public Library All-Staff Inservice - Chicago, IL
  • Community Librarianship: A 21st Century Approach in Public Libraries (2013)
    Connecticut Library Association - Hartford, CT
  • The Black Body at the Reference Desk: Building a Critical Race History of the Public Library (2012)
    PBS/Kartemquin Film Convening - Chicago, IL
  • Transformation Stations: Five 21st Century Trends that Can and Should Change the Way Libraries and Museums Do Business (2011)
    Dominican University - River Forest, IL
  • Script-Flipping and Gap-Standing: What to do When the Hardest to Reach Library Users Are the Ones that Need You the Most (2009)
    Westchester Country Library Outreach Staff In-service - Tarrytown, NY
  • Shall I Not Be as Real as the Things I See? 10 Ways Visionary Librarianship Can Change the World (2009)
    International Federation of Library Associations Professional Development Conference - Bologna, Italy
  • The Hedgehog in the Library: Critical Leadership and Cultural Competencies for 21st Century School Media Centers (2009)
    Chicago Public Schools - Chicago, IL
  • Tuning Up for the Downturn: Using Library Lean Times to Shape Things Up (2009)
    Eastern Connecticut State University Library - Willimantic, CT
  • Invited but Not Included: What to Do When Diversity at Work Isn’t Working (2008)
    National Diversity in Libraries Conference - Louisville, KY
  • Diversity Counts: Changing Demographic Trends and the LIS Workforce in the U.S. (2007)
    IFLA - Durban, South Africa
  • The Spectrum Scholarship Diversity Recruitment Initiative Case Study (2007)
    International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) Professional Development Satellite Conference - Johannesburg, South Africa
  • INFORMATION 911! Public Library Service to Diverse Communities (2005)
    Addison Public Library - Addison, Illinois
  • Shifting Populations and Global Migrancies: Cultural Competencies for Libraries in the 21st Century (2005)
    IFLA Multicultural Library Satellite Conference - Stockholm, Sweden