Correspondence, 1970-2005

INTRODUCTION The Peggy Sullivan papers were donated to the University Archives on August 22, 1997, with several additions in subsequent years.  Literary rights on all materials not under copyright are dedicated to the public.  There are no restrictions on access to the collection. SCOPE AND CONTENT This collection documents the multifaceted career of Peggy Sullivan.  Most of the materials relate to the professional interests of Sullivan, who served as the Dean of the College of Professional Studies at NIU from July 1981 to September 1990, and as Director of NIU’s University Libraries from October of 1990 to July 1992.  Sullivan also spent a number of years with the American Library Association (ALA), most notably as the organization’s President for the 1980-1981 term, and as Executive Director, August 1992 to August 1994.  Included in this collection are photographs, correspondence, passports, press releases, lecture notes, conference materials, and consultant reports.  Nearly one third of the materials in the collection relate to the extensive writing and publishing done by Sullivan.  Included here is a substantial portion of the first draft of her children’s book, The O’Donnells, as well as Public Libraries: Smart Practices in Personnel (1982), and the 1982 and 1986 editions of Opportunities in Library and Information Science.  In addition, several NIU related pins have been placed in collection UA 11. The collection is divided into five series: Personal (1930-2005); Correspondence (1970-2005); Northern Illinois University (1980-1992); Professional Organizations and Activities (1962-2006); and Research and Publications (1949-2003). BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Margaret Ann (Peggy) Sullivan was born August 12, 1929 in Kansas City, Missouri. She received an A.B. in Language and Literature from Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa in 1950; an M.S. in Library Science from Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. in 1953; and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago’s Graduate Library School in 1972.  She began her career as an assistant children’s librarian at the Kansas City (Missouri) Public Library, 1952-1953, going to the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore in 1953, first as children’s librarian, and becoming the school services specialist in 1957.  From 1959 to 1961 she wasChildren’s Work Supervisor for the Arlington County (Virginia) Public Libraries, and from 1961-1963 was a School Library Specialist for the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools. In 1963 she began her close association with ALA as director of the five-year Knapp School Libraries Project.  She continued there as Director of the Junior College Information Center, 1968-1969.  From 1971-1973 she was an Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Pittsburgh.  Sullivan returned to ALA in 1973-1974 as Director of the Office for Library Personnel Resources and Executive Secretary of the Library Education Division of the ALA.  In 1974 she became Dean of Students and Associate Professor of the Graduate Library School at the University of Chicago.  In 1977 she joined the Chicago Public Library as Assistant Commissioner for Extension Services.  She also taught part time in library education programs at Catholic University, Drexel Institute, Rosary College, University of Maryland, Rutgers, and Syracuse University. In July of 1980 Sullivan began a one-year term as President of ALA.  She came to Northern Illinois University in 1981 as Dean of the College of Professional Studies, supervising the schools of Allied Health Professions and Nursing, and the departments of Communicative Disorders, Human and Family Resources, Industry and Technology, Military Science, and Library and Information Studies.  This was followed in October 1990 with a nearly two-year term as Director of the NIU University Libraries.  She then went back to ALA as Executive Director, for two years ending in August 1994.  In the Fall of 1995 she was named Dean of the Rosary College Graduate School of Library and Information Science, where she served until 1997.  In 1995, she became an associate with Tufts & Associates, a Chicago-based executive search firm.  Sullivan’s assignments there are related to libraries and information services. Sullivan has visited every state of the United States in library-related travel as a consultant, speaker, or evaluator, and has visited every continent except Antarctica.  She was a UNESCO consultant to Australia in 1970, and a member of the U.S. library delegation to the People’s Republic of China in 1979.  She served as a delegate to the 1979 White House Conference on Library and Information Sciences, as well as representing the profession at other Congressional Hearings. Sullivan is a member of many professional associations.  An excellent speaker, she has also presented numerous programs on storytelling.  Her publications include monographs on library administration, contributions to reference volumes, and over 100 articles and reviews which have appeared in library and educational journals, as well as the Baltimore Sun, Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune.