$25 million gift from James Lewis to the American Library Association to help aspiring librarians

James Lewis has pledged a gift of at least $25 million to the American Library Association to help aspiring librarians pursue professional librarianship.

Lewis said he’s been fond of libraries since his parents introduced him to the New Bern Public Library as a child.

As Lewis started thinking about the legacy he wanted to leave behind, he decided the best option was to gift his assets to the association.

“I feel that libraries virtually everywhere are the most democratic institutions because everybody can go to them,” Lewis said. “With libraries, anyone can walk in and benefit, not only from the books but from the resources and full offerings libraries provide to their communities, including computers, technology training and assistance, career building, homework help, and literacies of all kinds, including health and financial literacy.”

“Libraries are one of our last community spaces where people can go without (an) economic barrier to entry and be welcome.”

According to Leslie Burger, ALA interim executive director, Lewis has made the largest individual gift to the ALA in the association’s almost 150-year history.

Lewis’ gift will fund library school scholarships for students with demonstrated financial needs.

Burger said that the scholarships would benefit young people who would otherwise be unable to pursue professional librarianship.

“We have some scholarship funds that we use to award scholarships now, but nothing of this amount,” Burger said. “It will expand our capacity to provide scholarships for aspiring librarians, and it particularly goes with financial need. A graduate degree program for librarians takes about a year and a half to complete if you go full-time, but many go part-time based on financial circumstances.

“By giving scholarships based on financial need, we will enable many people who might not otherwise be able to do that or who might not be able to do it full time.”

Lewis said the assets he has gifted to the association are currently worth about $25 million, but he hopes they will increase in value.

The funds come from Lewis’s stock and bond markets and residential real estate investments.

Now that Lewis has committed to the gift, the ALA will begin working with him on the scholarship guidelines.

Burger said that the ALA will receive the funds, which will be invested in an endowment fund that generates 4% in income each year.

Burger said that assuming a master’s degree costs about $40,000, the ALA believes about 100 students could benefit from the Lewis Scholarship each year.

“This really fits with what we’re trying to do as an association, which is ensure that libraries across the United States have skilled, well trained and professional librarians working in each institution,” Burger said.

“Being able to place 100 new librarians every year is huge and might even be a first in some communities that have not had an MLS-trained librarian at their helm or on their staff, so it has a huge impact over time in terms of what it will accomplish.”

The ALA is a membership-based organization that works to develop, promote and improve libraries, information services and the profession of librarianship.

Burger said the hope is that Lewis will appear at the association’s annual conference in Philadelphia in June so he can be honored and thanked in front of ALA members.

“The scholarship will continue as the Lewis Scholarship or some variation of that and people who will be getting scholarships will know that they are a Lewis scholar,” Burger said. “This really is a transformational gift and incredibly generous.”

Lewis was born and raised in New Bern, where his library passion began. As a child, he spent many Saturdays with his mother at the public library downtown.

Lewis said this gift will honor his parents, J. Vance and Blanche B. Lewis, who always encouraged education.

He credits his parents with his commitment to libraries.

Lewis has demonstrated his commitment to libraries by volunteering his time, including service as a member of the Board of Visitors at the library of his alma matter, Wake Forest University.

Lewis also served 10 years on the Library Trustee Board for the Washington Public Library in Washington, D.C., where he lives.

“It’s a great sense of satisfaction knowing that this will help librarians get their degrees,” Lewis said. “To get a job as a professional librarian, not a technician, but a professional librarian, you have to have a master’s degree. This is all about enabling librarians to obtain a master’s degree so they can get a job.”

Lewis and Burger said many communities don’t have a professional librarian on staff.

Burger added that given the many issues libraries currently face, it’s important for communities to have a trained librarian with the skills to combat them.

Burger said that the threat of book bans or censorship and decreased funding are some issues libraries face.

“As these students are going through their master’s programs, they will get some advice, guidance, and education around how to counter attempts to reduce the impact of the library in a given community,” she said. “Whether it be censorship, how to get more money or trained library staff and ability to access the library, I mean, there are so many things that people can do to restrict access to libraries.

“However, I’m hoping that these new leaders, these transformational leaders, as a result of this transformation gift, will not be just studying the tried-and-true foundations of librarianship, but really exploring what this new library environment is like and what they need to know as emerging professionals to counter some of the attempts to close libraries or reduce library service.