Interview with Ralph Russell, August 20, 2016

Interview Summary

Dr. Ralph Russell was the Director of Libraries at Georgia State University, among other positions throughout his career. In this interview he discusses how he became aware of librarianship as a possibility for a career. He talks about his education, his brief career with the Navy, and how his wife interviewed for him for his first library job. He talks about the various libraries at which he has worked throughout his career before settling at Georgia State University until his retirement in 1997.

Russell discusses the GALILEO database which was created during his tenure at Georgia State University, including the naming process and how they convinced the Georgia state legislature to fund the project. He discusses some of the challenges he faced when he began working at Georgia State University Library, including the lack of physical space and updating technology.

Russell talks about how being part of ASERL helped him throughout his career, and talks about ASERL's role in the creation of SOLINET. He talks about some of the ways libraries in the southeast have collaborated, as well as ways he wished they could have collaborated, including shared storage, resource sharing, and a shared library. He talks about a local consortium his library participated in, University Center. He talks about some of the benefits to users that local consortia can provide.

Russell talks about how he saw the role of libraries change during his career, and discusses their role in the digital age. He talks about the misconception that the use of libraries is declining. He talks about electronic books as one of the major issues currently facing libraries. Russell talks about how he came to work for SACS after his retirement from Georgia State, and discusses his responsibilities in relation to the re-accreditation of institutions.

Interview Keyword

Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) Georgia Library Learning Online (GALILEO) Technological innovations College facilities College buildings Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)

Interview LC Subject

Library science Library resources Libraries Academic librarians Academic libraries Universities and colleges--Administration Library finance Universities and colleges--Finance Joint-use libraries

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.