Achievements, Contributions, and Characteristics of Chinese American Librarians

Chinese American librarians are determined in following their dreams to succeed. They are strong, devoted, self-motivated, and persistent in providing library and information literacy to users of all cultures and to advance themselves professionally and personally. For more than half a century, quite a number of Chinese American Librarians have overcome hurdles like culture differences, language, and other barriers and emerged in leadership positions such as library directors and deans of library schools and held positions in professional organizations at all levels. They have played a significant role in contributing to librarianship in general and bringing a closer relationship between the librarians in the United States and China. They have earned respect from librarians of all cultures and enhanced the image of Chinese American librarians. This paper showcases a few Chinese American librarians from two generations of their characteristics, achievements, roles, and contributions in librarianship