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Elonnie J. Josey (January 20, 1924 – July 3, 2009) was an African-American activist and librarian. Josey was the first chair of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, having been instrumental in its formation in 1970; served as president of the American Library Association from 1984-1985; and was the author of over 400 books and other publications.

Early Life
Josey was born Elonnie Junius Josey in Norfolk, Virginia to Willie and Frances Bailey Josey. His mother completed teacher-training school and taught for one year before marrying Josey's father, a WWI veteran who worked as a laborer at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth. Josey credits his mother for encouraging him to pursue reading and creativity. The Josey family moved to the Mount Hermon section of Portsmouth, Virginia shortly after Josey's birth, where he was raised with four siblings. The family attended the Celestial Baptist Church, where Josey "found his love of God and music". Josey attended the segregated Mount Hermon Elementary School and I. C. Norcom High School, where he excelled academically.

Josey's father passed away when he was a sophomore in high school, and Josey graduated early to earn money as a dishwasher, porter, and stock clerk as well as by playing the piano and organ at neighborhood churches. He was drafted into the army on May 18, 1943, and served in an all-black squadron in the South as an assistant to chaplains and as an organist. Josey was able to use a non-segregated library in the army and he noted, "The opportunity to read a wide variety of materials in the Army caused me to continue my quest for knowledge and revived my desire for a college education".

Josey enrolled in Howard University in 1947 and graduated in 1949, majoring in history. He received his master's in History from Columbia University in 1950 and a master's in librarianship from the University at Albany, SUNY in 1953 being the second African American to do so. While at Columbia, Josey worked as a desk assistant in the Journalism Library and in several other jobs in departmental libraries, and was "encouraged to pursue librarianship as a career by his supervisor, Basil Miller". Josey joined the American Library Association in 1952 but like other African American librarians, his application to join the Georgia Library Association was rejected. (In 1965, he would become the first African American librarian of the Georgia Library Association after he led a protest against the Southern state library associations).

Immediately after graduating, Josey accepted a position at the Free Library of Philadelphia. From 1955 to 1959, he was Director of the Library of Delaware State College, Dover, Delaware, and from 1959–1966, he was Chief Librarian and Associate Professor at Savannah State College in Savannah, Georgia. He also served on the staff of the Columbia University Library, the New York Public Library, and prior to his position at Delaware State College, he served as Instructor of Social Sciences and History from 1954–1955 at Savannah State College.

In 1966, Josey joined the New York State Education Department in its Division of Library Development as an Associate in the Bureau of Academic and Research Libraries. In 1968 he was promoted to Chief of the Bureau of Academic and Research Libraries and held that position until 1976 when he was appointed Chief, Bureau of Specialist Library Services, New York State Library. Josey was also Professor Emeritus, Department of Library and Information Science, School of Library and Information Sciences, University of Pittsburgh.

Also was one of the first African American librarians in the Georgia Library Association.