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.

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“Your Right to Know: Librarians Make It Happen” was the theme of National Library Week in 1992. As part of the event, promotional materials such as buttons were developed. Since 1958, National Library Week has been organized by the American Library Association to celebrate the role of libraries in society, recognize the work of librarians and promote library services. The event is held in April each year.

“Your Right to Know: Librarians Make It Happen” was also the topic of a 1992 American Library Association conference-within-a-conference, which focused on access to government information.

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This button was made for the American Library Association, which is a nonprofit organization to support librarians and libraries. In the 1970s and 1980s the ALA supported the Equal Rights Amendment with several buttons.

The Equal Rights Amendment was proposed to guarantee equal rights for women in both 1923 and 1972. The ERA passed Congress and was proposed for ratification on March 22, 1972 with a seven year deadline for ratification. As the deadline approached advocates protested for an extension and, as a result of these protests, Congress moved the deadline to June 30, 1982. The ERA fell three states short of ratification by the extended deadline. The National Women's Conference Committee declared July 1, 1982 A New Day Beyond ERA, to rededicate themselves to the principles of women's rights. These women dedicated themselves, not just to continuing to work for passage of the ERA, but to working for a variety of women's issues from childcare to politics. They held demonstrations in cities across the country.  

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ViP stands for Visitor in Pennsylvania, this button was used during a Pennsylvania Tourism Campaign. The campaign was a five year strategic plan made in 2010. The overall goal was to promote overnight stays in Pennsylvania. 

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The American Library Association (ALA) is the oldest and largest library association in the world. Within the ALA are other divisions, including the Member Promotion Task Force. The members that are part of the this task force are charged with promoting ALA membership within their respective units. 

Yellow illustration of a star on a white background with purple text on top

The American Library Association (ALA) is the oldest and largest library association in the world. One of their goals is to inform people about libraries and information. To help do this they have the 'ASK the ALA Library' tool on their website. It allows people to read about commonly asked questions, along with blogs on different topics. 

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The Association of College and Research Libraries is a division of the American Library Association. In April of 2005, the ACRL held their 12th National Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The theme of the conference was “Currents and Convergence: Navigation the Rivers of Change.” The conference was held to provide a setting to discuss major issues, and to offer networking opportunities for the members who attended.

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"Ask A Librarian” is a slogan and a library website tool used to help patrons contact a librarian to find the information they are looking for. With most library websites, ask a librarian features provides direct access to the librarian to ask questions through a chat box.

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"Hooked on Books” was a tagline featured on library advertisements, including buttons and posters, created by Campbell and Hall in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Advertisements referenced being addicted to library books with common drug addiction text.

An example from a poster includes: 

Hooked on Books? A book addict need NEVER suffer WITHDRAWAL PAINS!! THE HABIT: develops with CLOSE CONTACT. SIDE EFFECTSSS → 1. Vocabularies improve 2. Eyes brighten 3. Horizons enlarge. COLD TURKEY → Library is Closed. Overdose? → eyedrops. ANTIDOTE - UNKNOWN. CURE - NO SUCH THING!

In the 1970s, a surge of anti-drug rhetoric and campaigning took place. The Nixon Administration Ad Council spent over 100 million dollars on anti-drug campaigning between 1970 and 1972. Heroin was notably a problem for the American populace, and President Nixon in 1971 called drugs, “America’s public enemy number one.” With the widespread knowledge of and effect of drugs during the 1970s, memorabilia and items centering around drugs were common during this time.