John W. Berry

John W. Berry (born 1947) is an American librarian. Berry served as president of the American Library Association from 2001 to 2002, leading the profession's response to the Children's Internet Protection Act.

Education and career Berry received his Master of Arts in Teaching in 1971 and his Master of Library Science in 1974 from Indiana University Bloomington. He began his career in Illinois in 1980 at the Northern Illinois University libraries.

Berry was the director of advancement and research associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago from 1990 to 1996. He has also held faculty and management positions at Northern Illinois University, Elmira College, and Indiana University. In 2013, Berry was appointed to the board of trustees of the American Library in Paris to represent the American Library Association.

Library leadership and recognition During his administration as president of the American Library Association (ALA) from 2001 to 2002, Berry's focal points were on library recruitment of strong leaders and bridging the digital divide.

He was president of the Freedom to Read Foundation from 2005 to 2007.

Berry was named the 2009 Illinois Academic Librarian of the Year and in February 2011 was inducted as an Illinois Library Luminary Honoree by the Illinois Library Association.