Charles W. Robinson for ALA President

Black and white photograph of a man's head with black text around the outer edge on a white backgroud

Charles W. Robinson (1928 – 2016) served as the director of the Baltimore County Public Library from 1963 until his retirement in 1996. He began his library career in 1953 at the Free Library of Philadelphia before taking a position at the Baltimore County Library in 1959. Robinson served as president of the Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association, in 1984-85. He also served twice on the council of the American Library Association. When he retired in 1996, the Public Library Association established the Charlie Robinson Award, which is awarded annually to a public library director who has been an innovator in the field.