NEWS

Kenan Professor Emeritus of library science Asheim dies at 83

By JANICE DAQUILA
UNC-CH School of Information and Library Science

CHAPEL HILL -- Dr. Lester Eugene Asheim, 83, retired William Rand Kenan Jr. Professor at the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, died early Tuesday at Carolina Meadows retirement community, where he had lived since 1993.

Asheim also had served on the faculty at the Graduate Library School of the University of Chicago from 1948-61 and 1971-74, where he was dean from 1952-61. He directed the American Library Association (ALA) International Relations Office from 1961-66 and the ALA Office for Library Education from 1966-71.

In 1975, he joined the UNC-CH faculty as a William Rand Kenan, Jr. Professor. He taught in the School of Information and Library Science until his retirement in 1984.

Often cited as his most important work, Asheim's 1954 article “Not Censorship but Selection” studies the distinction between selection and censorship. It is widely reprinted and still influential in the field of library science.

Among his other articles were “The Humanities and the Public Library” in 1957; “Librarianship in Developing Countries” in 1966; the original ALA “Library Education and Personnel Utilization” statement in 1970; “Trends in Library Education -- USA” in 1975; and “Ortega Revisited” in 1982. All were published in scholarly journals.

Among Asheim's interests were intellectual freedom, library service to the public, library education, professional associations, international and comparative librarianship and mass communications.

“Students Asheim taught continue to be inspired by his teaching and writings and remember him fondly,” said Dr. Edward Holley, retired Kenan Professor Emeritus of Information and Library Science. “Asheim's quiet dignity and numerous contributions to librarianship through his teaching, writing and handling of leadership positions won him abundant respect and praise throughout his career and into his retirement.”

Honors accorded Asheim include the University of Washington School of Librarianship Distinguished Alumnus Award, 1966; Illinois Library Association Intellectual Freedom Award, 1966; Beta Phi Mu Award for Distinguished Service to Education for Librarianship, 1973; Joseph W. Lippincott Award, 1976; ALA Honorary Membership, 1984; ALISE Award for professional Contribution to Library and Information Science Education, 1992.

In 1979, in honor of Asheim's 65th birthday, colleagues presented him with a festschrift, a collection of articles written in his honor, “As Much to Learn as to Teach.”

Born on January 22, 1914, in Spokane, Washington, Asheim grew up in Seattle. He earned an A.B. in English in 1936 and a B.A. in Librarianship in 1937, both from the University of Washington, where he then also earned an M.A. in American Literature in 1941.

After three years of service in the U.S. Army Signal Intelligence Corps during World War II, Asheim enrolled at the Graduate Library School of the University of Chicago. He received a Ph.D. there in 1949.

Asheim is survived by two cousins, Daniel Frank of Seattle and Michael Frank of New York City. A memorial service will be held in the fall in the School of Information and Library Science library in Manning Hall. The body has been donated to UNC Hospitals for research.

Memorials may be made to the Lester Asheim Scholarship Fund and sent to: Gerry Compton, School of Information and Library Science, UNC-CH, CB #3360, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599-3360

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News Services contact: Laura J. Toler
School of Information and Library Science contact: Janice Daquila, 962-7024, daquj@ils.unc.edu