Ella Gaines Yates
Encyclopedia
Ella Gaines Yates is recognized in the library
world as being the first African-American director of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System
in Georgia
.
Ella Gaines Yates was born into a well known and wealthy family in Atlanta, Georgia. She attended Booker T. Washington High School. Ella Gaines Yates was accepted to Spelman on July 13, 1944. She wrote in her admission letter to the college “I wish to come to Spelman, because I feel there is no other college anywhere in the world finer for a girl to receive training to prepare her for higher gain in life. I have always looked forward to entering Spelman College, because Spelman students have a certain air about them that denotes character and culture. I would naturally fall in line.” Ella graduated from Spelman in 1949. She not only walked away from Spelman with her degree she met her husband, Clayton Yates, at Morehouse College. Yates received her bachelors degree from Spelman College
. She then received an MLS
degree from Atlanta University in 1951, and went on to be a prominent member of African-American librarianship. She was hired as the assistant branch librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library from 1951 to 1955. From there she would move to the Orange Public Library in New Jersey to become head of the children’s department, East Orange Public Library to work as a branch librarian, and then as an assistant director at the Montclair Public Library from 1970 to 1972. Yates obtained this position in 1976 and served until 1981. Before joining the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Yates worked as the assistant branch librarian at Brooklyn Public Library
from 1951 to 1955, the head of the children’s department at Orange (New Jersey) Public Library, the branch librarian at East Orange (New Jersey) Public Library from 1960 to 1970, and as the assistant director of Montclair (New Jersey) Public Library from 1970 to 1972.
Yates was a member of the American Library Association
(ALA) and the Black Caucus of ALA. She was also a member of the NAACP
, helped to found the Association’s Coretta Scott King Book Award
, she published an article entitled “Sexism in the Library Profession”, she served as a research writer for the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, she was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta
sorority, she created her own firm Yates Library Consultants, and she was a visiting professor at Atlanta University Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
Yates obtained this position in 1976 and served until 1981. Ella and her family moved to Seattle, Washington where she established a Library and Learning Resource Center for the Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center, she also began teaching at the University of Washington’s Graduate Library School. She later accepted a position as State Librarian of the Virginia State Library. Ella enjoyed this position but was soon plagued with the same issues that she had dealt with in Atlanta. Ella was dismissed and returned to Atlanta. Yates returned as interim director in 1998, but because of disputes with the library board she left this position on December 31. Yates died on June 27, 2006 of Pancreatic Cancer at the age of 79.
Under her leadership, the Atlanta-Fulton public library built its central branch on Margaret Mitchell Square in downtown Atlanta. Yates saw the state-of-the-art facility through its planning and construction stages and presided at the May 1980 dedication ceremonies and gave Ella the privilege of being the first African American librarian in the country to have a major metropolitan library built during tenure. She was so concerned about the city receiving a fair deal that she found time to earn a doctoral degree from Atlanta Law School in 1979 so she could understand contracts.
Yates cared about much more than an impressive building. She expanded library services for the disabled, ethnic groups, and prisoners. She brought the library into the Fulton County jail, making the jail the first penal institution in the country with a public library branch.
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
world as being the first African-American director of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System
The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System is a network of public libraries serving the City of Atlanta and Fulton County, both in the U.S. state of Georgia. The system is currently administered by Fulton County...
in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
Ella Gaines Yates was born into a well known and wealthy family in Atlanta, Georgia. She attended Booker T. Washington High School. Ella Gaines Yates was accepted to Spelman on July 13, 1944. She wrote in her admission letter to the college “I wish to come to Spelman, because I feel there is no other college anywhere in the world finer for a girl to receive training to prepare her for higher gain in life. I have always looked forward to entering Spelman College, because Spelman students have a certain air about them that denotes character and culture. I would naturally fall in line.” Ella graduated from Spelman in 1949. She not only walked away from Spelman with her degree she met her husband, Clayton Yates, at Morehouse College. Yates received her bachelors degree from Spelman College
Spelman College
Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female...
. She then received an MLS
Master of Library and Information Science
The Master of Library and Information Science is the master's degree that is required for most professional librarian positions in the United States and Canada. The MLIS is a relatively recent degree; an older and still common degree designation for librarians to acquire is the Master of Library...
degree from Atlanta University in 1951, and went on to be a prominent member of African-American librarianship. She was hired as the assistant branch librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library from 1951 to 1955. From there she would move to the Orange Public Library in New Jersey to become head of the children’s department, East Orange Public Library to work as a branch librarian, and then as an assistant director at the Montclair Public Library from 1970 to 1972. Yates obtained this position in 1976 and served until 1981. Before joining the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Yates worked as the assistant branch librarian at Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Public Library
The Brooklyn Public Library is the public library system of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. It is the fifth largest public library system in the United States. Like the two other public library systems in New York City, it is an independent nonprofit organization that is funded by the...
from 1951 to 1955, the head of the children’s department at Orange (New Jersey) Public Library, the branch librarian at East Orange (New Jersey) Public Library from 1960 to 1970, and as the assistant director of Montclair (New Jersey) Public Library from 1970 to 1972.
Yates was a member of the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
(ALA) and the Black Caucus of ALA. She was also a member of the NAACP
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
, helped to found the Association’s Coretta Scott King Book Award
Coretta Scott King Award
The Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association...
, she published an article entitled “Sexism in the Library Profession”, she served as a research writer for the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, she was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
sorority, she created her own firm Yates Library Consultants, and she was a visiting professor at Atlanta University Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
Yates obtained this position in 1976 and served until 1981. Ella and her family moved to Seattle, Washington where she established a Library and Learning Resource Center for the Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center, she also began teaching at the University of Washington’s Graduate Library School. She later accepted a position as State Librarian of the Virginia State Library. Ella enjoyed this position but was soon plagued with the same issues that she had dealt with in Atlanta. Ella was dismissed and returned to Atlanta. Yates returned as interim director in 1998, but because of disputes with the library board she left this position on December 31. Yates died on June 27, 2006 of Pancreatic Cancer at the age of 79.
Under her leadership, the Atlanta-Fulton public library built its central branch on Margaret Mitchell Square in downtown Atlanta. Yates saw the state-of-the-art facility through its planning and construction stages and presided at the May 1980 dedication ceremonies and gave Ella the privilege of being the first African American librarian in the country to have a major metropolitan library built during tenure. She was so concerned about the city receiving a fair deal that she found time to earn a doctoral degree from Atlanta Law School in 1979 so she could understand contracts.
Yates cared about much more than an impressive building. She expanded library services for the disabled, ethnic groups, and prisoners. She brought the library into the Fulton County jail, making the jail the first penal institution in the country with a public library branch.