Alma Dawson

She was 82 years old. Alma and her twin, Alfred Dawson were born on February 4, 1943, to the parents of Delia and Joe Dawson. Alma accepted Christ at an early age, joining Saint Simon Missionary Baptist Church located in Cloutierville, Louisiana where the family of eight lived. She joined the Mount Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana under the leadership of Rev. T. J. Jeminson in 1981 where she was a faithful member of the Usher Board. After the passing of Rev. Jemison, Alma continued to serve at Mount Zion First Baptist Church under the leadership Dr. Rene Brown until she moved to Houston, Texas.

Following her graduation from Saint Matthew High School in Derry, Louisiana, Alma attended Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana at the age of 16. In 1963, she earned her B.S. Secondary Education with honors at the age of 20. Alma was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She taught in the Natchitoches Parish School System before receiving her master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Alma then worked as head Serials Librarian in the W. R. Banks Library at Prairie View A&M University. She was selected for the Mellon-ACRL Internship Project in 1978 and assigned to the University of Wisconsin Library, in Milwaukee,

January –June 1978

In 1982, Alma joined the faculty at the Louisiana State University Libraries as the library and information science librarian. This is when her passion for the field of library science grew, and Alma decided to further her education at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. She earned her PhD in Library Science and Higher Education in 1996 and joined the faculty of the School of Library and Information Science at Louisiana State University. Alma taught courses in collection development, academic libraries, information literacy instruction, and foundations of library and information science. In 2003, she was named Russell B. Long Professor in Library and Information Science at LSU. Alma has written numerous articles and book chapters on collection development, distance education, and the contributions of African Americans to librarianship. She was editor of A History of the Louisiana Library Association, 1925 – 2000 in 2003, and African American Literature A Guide to Reading Interests in 2004. She held a strong belief in the importance of recruiting and mentoring students in the field of librarianship. Alma established a program of mentorship for minority and international students at Louisiana State University in 1995 in collaboration with the Louisiana Library Association Minority and Professional Concerns Interest Group which later became the Diversity Interest Group. Alma played a key role in the establishment of the Ollie H. Burns Scholarship for minority and international students in the LSU SLIS program.

The recruitment and development of librarians continued to be a major focal point of her career. This was evident when she was awarded a grant for $750,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in 2009 titled “Project Recovery.” The students recruited under this initiative received IMLS-funded scholarships to earn master’s degrees in librarianship and they also had the opportunity to work in libraries affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Alma retired from Louisiana State University in 2014 and was awarded Emeritus status in 2015. Alma’s dedication and stalwart work in the field librarianship have been recognized by the American Library Association and the Louisiana Library Association. In 2005, she was the recipient of the American Library Association Equality Award. In 2012, Alma received the LLA Meritorious Service Award. In 2019, she was honored with the Essae Martha Culver Distinguished Service Award which honors a librarian whose professional service and achievements, whose leadership in Louisiana association work, and whose lifetime accomplishments in a field of librarianship within the state merit recognition of value to Louisiana librarianship.

Alma was preceded in death by her parents, Delia and Joe Dawson, twin brother, Alfred Dawson, twin sisters, Ruth Dawson Clay, and Ruby Dawson Vital. She is survived by twin sisters, Delia Dawson Clark (Houston, Texas) and Delethe Dawson (Moline, Illinois), sister-in-law, Lillie Dawson (Houston, Texas), nephews Chris Clark (Houston, Texas), Alan (Michelle) Dawson (League City, Texas), nieces, Chanda (Sam) Eager (League, Texas), Karen Clay (Atlanta, Georgia), and Erin Dawson (Chicago, Illinois). Along with a host of other family and friends.