Librarianship
Curley Jones aiding a patron at the General Reference desk, Marriott Library. Identified by Dave Morrison.
Duties as a Librarian
Curley Jones was placed in the General Reference department of the Marriott Library, where he thrived. He worked primarily at the reference desk, aiding students and professors in answering questions and facilitating research. This was before the age of computers in libraries and personal devices, and a librarian was often the only source through which academics could locate sources for papers and other projects. Curley was placed over the Education, Social Studies, and Black Studies collections, and was instrumental in building them up to their current robust state.1 Another of his duties was to teach both official university courses and periodic information sessions educating students on library science and navigating reference tools.2 Throughout his time at the University of Utah, he advanced through the ranks, earning the position of tenured Associate Librarian by 1980 and full Librarian by 1990.3
An advertisement in the Daily Utah Chronicle for a course taught by Curley Jones and other librarians.
Advocating for Students and Faculty/Staff
Curley was very invested in creating spaces and resources for minority students and Black experiences on the university campus. He was known to be a support especially for first generation minority students, and Black students in particular. The care, resources, and encouragement he offered to these students was instrumental in convincing them of their ability to succeed in an environment that was often stacked against them.4 Curley was especially involved in the development of the Black Studies program at the U. One of his greatest contributions to the field, and the university at large, was his involvement in creating the Black Bibliography and its supplements: university-published compilations of resources on the Black experience in the United States. and enabled students to research topics that were previously not readily available to them. Curley was a primary contributor for the first volume, and the compiler and editor for the three subsequent volumes.5 His work facilitated the flourishing of the Black Studies program, as it paved the way for students and professors alike to access more work on the Black experience than ever before and develop their own research and contributions to the scholarship.
In addition to his work with students and faculty, Curley Jones was also a vocal advocate for his fellow librarians. He would frequently support academic librarians going up for tenure, writing letters for tenure files and sitting on tenure review committees. He was known to be very conscientious about his administrative service, taking the time to develop well-supported contributions for committee work. In 1991, he headed the Promotion, Retention, and Tenure Committee for library faculty and presided over the Academic Librarians’ meetings, an organization that reviewed hiring and retention evaluations and contributed administrative policies throughout the library while advocating for all levels of library employees.6 He was committed to making the library a helpful and welcoming space for all employees and patrons, regardless of status.
ULA and ALA Work
Curley was also very involved in the Utah Library Association and the American Library Association, being a member of both. He frequently attended conferences, and most likely presented his work on the Black Bibliography at one of the ULA conferences in the 1970s.7 He was a member of many committees and organizations in the ALA, including the Black Caucus of the ALA, whose first independent conference he attended in 1992.8 He was also a part of the Coretta Scott King Task Force, which manages the Coretta Scott King Book Awards.9 Curley was very passionate about engaging with and learning from these community associations, and was frequently attending conferences all over the country to learn more about librarianship and engage with other librarians.