Annette Lewis Phinazee

A). General Biographical Facts About her Life and Education:

“Alethia Annette Lewis Hoage Phinazee, called a trailblazer for her work as a librarian and educator, was born on July 23, 1920, in Orangeburg, South Carolina. She had one brother and no sisters. Her parents, William Charles Lewis and Alethia Minnie Lewis, were educators who cherished the ideals of service, excellence, and active involvement in church and civic life. Annette Phinazee died in Durham, North Carolina, on September 17, 1983, after a long bout with cancer. Annette Lewis married George Lafayette Hoage on April 22, 1944, and was widowed on August 22, 1945. The union was blessed with one child, a daughter, Ramona, who now directs the National Urban Coalition in Silver Spring, Maryland. Hoage's second marriage to Joseph Phinazee took place on July 14, 1962. Phinazee attended the public schools of Orangeburg and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in modern foreign languages from Fisk University in 1939. She received the bachelor of library science degree in 1941 and the master of library science degree in 1948 from the University of Illinois.” (Annette L. Phinazee - Biography Resource Center, Document Number: K1623000340 – URL http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC?vrsn=149&OP=contains&locID=uiuc_uc&srchtp=name&ca=1&c=1&AI=U14478844&NA=Annette+Phinazee&ste=12&tbst=prp&tab=1&docNum=K1623000340&bConts=41#sourceCitation)

“In 1961 she was the first woman and the first black American woman to earn the doctorate in library science from Columbia University; and her dissertation, "The Library of Congress Classification in the United States," is a seminal and authoritative library science classic. Phinazee launched her teaching career in North Carolina at the Caswell County Training School from 1939 to 1940 as a teacher-librarian. She was a cataloger in the library at Talladega College in Alabama from 1941 to 1942. From 1942 until 1944 she held the position of journalism librarian at Missouri's Lincoln University. She taught cataloging and classification courses at the Atlanta University School of Library Service (1946-57) and would become renowned as teacher and counselor to generations of black American librarians. Phinazee served for a period of time as a cataloger at Southern Illinois University (1957-62). She returned to Atlanta University as head of special services, which included the administration of the Trevor Arnett Library's Negro Collection--a world-renowned depository of American Africana (1962-67)--and returned to a professorship at the School of Library Service (1963-69). In 1969 Phinazee shouldered the assistant directorship of the Cooperative College Library Center in Atlanta. This was a library-centered service adjunct of the United Board for College Development whose mission was to develop college libraries in the historically black college and university sector of American academia.” (Annette L. Phinazee - Biography Resource Center, Document Number: K1623000340 – URL http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC?vrsn=149&OP=contains&locID=uiuc_uc&srchtp=name&ca=1&c=1&AI=U14478844&NA=Annette+Phinazee&ste=12&tbst=prp&tab=1&docNum=K1623000340&bConts=41#sourceCitation)

B). Library Science Visionary Pioneer in the Field of Cataloging:

“The following are four examples of her contributions to cataloging and technical services: her dissertation, her co-chairmanship of the Institute on the Use of the Library of Classification System, her involvement with the North Carolina Cataloging in Publication (CIP) institute, and her work with the Cooperative College Library Center. Phinazee contributed to cataloging by serving on the editorial board of Cataloging & Classification Quarterly from its beginning in 1973. In 1982, the new editor, George Gibbs, asked her to remain on the board. Throughout her career, as she became well known for other areas of librarianship, she was still regarded as a cataloger and technical services librarian. (D. McAllister-Harper; Virginia Purefoy Jones; Mary Beth Schell. “Annette Lewis Phinazee: Visionary, Cataloger, Educator” - Informa-World” On-Line Database: http://www.informaworld.com/10.1300/J104v25n02_19).

“Phinazee's dissertation has often been described as a seminal work in library science. Her dissertation: The Library of Congress Classification in the United States, written to fulfill the degree requirements for the D.L.S. at Columbia University, examines the development, structure, and use of the Library of Congress Classification System. The dissertation takes a three-pronged approach, examining the classification system itself, librarians' use of the system, and patrons' use of the system. The dissertation draws the conclusion that the benefits of this system outweigh the problems. Prior to this dissertation there were virtually no studies examining patrons' use of the classification system. Phinazee's dissertation served in part as foundational material for the Institute on the Use of the Library of Congress Classification (….) At a time when the Library of Congress Classification was in need of manuals and guides, Phinazee pioneered in the field, writing her dissertation on the topic.” (D. McAllister-Harper; Virginia Purefoy Jones; Mary Beth Schell. “Annette Lewis Phinazee: Visionary, Cataloger, Educator” - Informa-World” On-Line Database: http://www.informaworld.com/10.1300/J104v25n02_19).

“Then she agreed to co-chair the Institute on the Use of the Library of Congress Classification, the first institute of its kind. At the time that Phinazee finished her research and the Institute was initiated, there were approximately 500 academic libraries utilizing the Library of Congress Classification system. Today, thousands' of academic libraries use the system in the United States and abroad. This growth in acceptance of the Library of Congress Classification illustrates that Phinazee was not only a librarian of innovation, but also of vision.”(D. McAllister-Harper; Virginia Purefoy Jones; Mary Beth Schell. “Annette Lewis Phinazee: Visionary, Cataloger, Educator” - Informa-World” On-Line Database: http://www.informaworld.com/10.1300/J104v25n02_19).

“The Cooperative College Library Center was another innovation of the four examples presented here. Even today cooperative cataloging is still considered somewhat cutting edge. Phinazee brought her vision of a new way of technical services processing to this project. Her innovation and vision were rooted in a solid understanding of librarianship, and as such was a vision that benefitted librarians by bringing about cost savings and efficiencies. Phinazee served as a model cataloger, a model technical services librarian, and a model professional librarian. The vision, innovation, and belief in education that she brought to her work as a cataloger and technical services librarian have helped advance librarianship.”(D. McAllister-Harper; Virginia Purefoy Jones; Mary Beth Schell. “Annette Lewis Phinazee: Visionary, Cataloger, Educator” - Informa-World” On-Line Database: http://www.informaworld.com/10.1300/J104v25n02_19).

C).Famous Quote By Annette Lewis Phinazee:

“I tend to concentrate my efforts and my other battles for human rights . . . mainly to the library profession [and] my city of residence.” (Quotation Source as given in the D. McAllister-Harper; Virginia Purefoy Jones; Mary Beth Schell. Article ("Annette L. Phinazee (1920-1983): Librarian, Educator." Notable Black: American Women. (Detroit: Gale Research, 1991), 852.))

D).Famous Quote About Annette Lewis Phinazee:

“There is hardly an African American librarian over 40 in this nation who was not touched by my mother, as a teacher, mentor or library educator. Throughout our lives, the strong feelings of respect and admiration for her within the family of librarians have been a source of profound inspiration and pride to me, and to my children. Emphasizing letter-perfect accuracy, efficiency, and rigorous truth-seeking, she set the highest standards for herself and for all with whom she learned. Dynamic in her growth and management of new challenges, she met these standards; and so did we, with her help. The impeccable and exemplary quality of her life and of her service, are forever cherished and deeply missed.” (Quotation Source as given in the D. McAllister-Harper; Virginia Purefoy Jones; Mary Beth Schell. Article: Ramona H. Edelin, interview by D. McAllister-Harper, interview 4 transcript, in personal files of Annette Phinazee in the Black Librarians' Collection at NCCU, SLIS, Durham, NC, November 12, 1997.)

E).Professional Scholarly References:

1)."Annette L. Phinazee." – Biographical Data & Further Reading List - Notable Black American Women, Book 1. Gale Research, 1992. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2010. Document Number: K1623000340.Retrieved on May 7, 2010 from: (http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC); Complete Direct URL: (http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC?vrsn=149&OP=contains&locID=uiuc_uc&srchtp=name&ca=1&c=1&AI=U14478844&NA=Annette+Phinazee&ste=12&tbst=prp&tab=1&docNum=K1623000340&bConts=41#sourceCitation)

2).D. McAllister-Harper; Virginia Purefoy Jones; Mary Beth Schell. “Annette Lewis Phinazee: Visionary, Cataloger, Educator” published by Taylor & Francis Group in Journal: Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, Volume 25, Issue 2 & 3 May 1998, pages (227 – 241). Retrieved as an electronic PDF file (English) document on May 3, 2010 from “Informa-World” On-Line Database at: http://www.informaworld.com/10.1300/J104v25n02_19

3).Noteworthy Quote BY the person, “Annette L. Phinazee”: “Annette L. Phinazee (1920-1983): Librarian, Educator.”Notable Black: American Women”. (Detroit: Gale Research, 1991), 852. – This is a Sub-Source within Article retrieved on May 3, 2010 from the following PDF document Article: D. McAllister-Harper; Virginia Purefoy Jones; Mary Beth Schell. “Annette Lewis Phinazee: Visionary, Cataloger, Educator” published by Taylor & Francis Group in Journal: Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, Volume 25, Issue 2 & 3 May 1998, pages (227 – 241). Retrieved as an electronic PDF file (English) document on May 3, 2010 from “Informa-World” On-Line Database at: http://www.informaworld.com/10.1300/J104v25n02_19

4).Noteworthy Quote ABOUT the person, “Annette L. Phinazee”: Ramona H. Edelin, interview by D. McAllister-Harper, interview 4 transcript, in personal files of Annette Phinazee in the Black Librarians' Collection at NCCU, SLIS, Durham, NC, November 12, 1997. This is a Sub-Source within Article retrieved on May 3, 2010 from the following PDF document Article: D. McAllister-Harper; Virginia Purefoy Jones; Mary Beth Schell. “Annette Lewis Phinazee: Visionary, Cataloger, Educator” published by Taylor & Francis Group in Journal: Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, Volume 25, Issue 2 & 3 May 1998, pages (227 – 241). Retrieved as an electronic PDF file (English) document on May 3, 2010 from “Informa-World” On-Line Database at: http://www.informaworld.com/10.1300/J104v25n02_19)