Alumnus Edward Christopher Williams was the first Black classically trained librarian in the United States. He served as both an assistant librarian and later as the head librarian of Hatch Library at Western Reserve University, where under his leadership, he significantly expanded the library’s collection, more than doubling its size.
Williams was instrumental in establishing the School of Library Science at Western Reserve and was a charter member of the Ohio Library Association.
He died in 1929 at age 58, two years before he was expected to receive his PhD in librarianship. Had he lived, he would have been the first person to claim the achievement.
