Description
Librarians know the author as the activist editor of the Wilson Library Bulletin and, earlier, of the California Librarian. In California he chaired the Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee, opposing the censorship efforts of legislators, initiating the Fiske study of self-censorship in school libraries, and joining the national journals in their efforts to support the desegregation of public libraries in the South. In later years, when the American Library Association remained silent after the editors of Choice and American Libraries were unjustifiably fired, he joined in rousing membership to protest. Then, as President of Scarecrow Press, he continued its strong list of books useful to librarians and initiated new series such as Native American Bibliographies and Composers of North America. Eshelman's narrative introduces the reader to the many facets of a gifted human being who has dedicated himself wholeheartedly to each of his many endeavors. It presents a broad view of the opportunities afforded to those in the library profession and of an activist whose influence resonated at a critical time. Photographs.
