Eli M. Oboler

Eli M. Oboler (1915-1983) was head librarian at the Idaho State University library, later Eli M. Oboler Library from 1949 to 1980. He was also a member of the Idaho Library Association and the Pacific Northwest Library Association, and served as president for both organizations. [cite news |url=http://www.isu.edu/library/help/emolongbio.htm |title=Biography of Eli M. Oboler |publisher=Eli M. Oboler Library |date=2006-08-12 |accessdate=2007-02-08]

Oboler held degrees from both the University of Chicago and Columbia University, including a Bachelor of Science degree in Library Science. After serving in the army in the Lend-Lease Expediting Bureau in World War II, Oboler came to Idaho State University in 1949. He retired in 1980, and passed away in 1983 in Pocatello, Idaho. [Ibid.]

Oboler was also a longtime member of the American Library Association, and held numerous positions with the ALA and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), one of the largest subdivisions of the ALA. During his lifetime, Oboler was a staunch defender of intellectual freedom and served on the Intellectual Freedom Committees of both the Idaho Library Association and the American Library Association. The Eli M. Oboler Memorial Award, created by the ALA's Intellectual Freedom Round Table, is named in his honor. [Ibid.]

The Eli M. Oboler Library at Idaho State University is named for him. [Ibid.]

Bibliography

According to the short biography posted on the Eli M. Oboler Library Web site, "A complete bibliography would include over 200 books, essays, articles, columns, letters, poems, and miscellanea, plus over 500 reviews!" [cite news |url=http://www.isu.edu/library/help/emoboler.htm |title=Who was Eli M. Oboler? |publisher=Eli M. Oboler Library |date=2007-02-27 |accessdate=2007-03-09]

Oboler is the author of several books on censorship and intellectual freedom:
*"The Fear of the Word: Censorship and Sex". Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1974.
*"Ideas and the University Library: Essays of an Unorthodox Academic Librarian." Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1977.
*"Defending Intellectual Freedom: The Library and the Censor". Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1980.
*"To Free the Mind: Libraries, Technology, and Intellectual Freedom." Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1983.

ee also

Eli M. Oboler Library
Idaho State University

External links

The Eli M. Oboler Memorial Award [http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=Awards17&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=33573]

Notes