Dr. Janice R. Franklin is Dean of Library and Learning Resources at Alabama State University, a tenured Professor and Project Director for the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University. Franklin is co-founder of the HBCU Library Alliance, a consortium of libraries representing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). She has led digitization initiatives for the organization and is an advocate for preserving the cultural legacy of HBCUs.
Dr. Franklin’s professional recognitions include: The “Mover and Shaker” designation from Library Journal, recognizing her work to shape the future of libraries; the “Distinguished Service Award” from the Alabama Library Association; the “Woman of Achievement Award” from the Montgomery Advertiser; and she was elected to the OCLC’s (Online Computer Library Center) international Member’s Council, representing the SOLINET (Southeastern Library Network, now LYRASIS) region. She was also honored as a recipient of the “AACRL Sue O. Medina Significant contribution Award” presented by the Alabama Chapter of ACRL. She has served on numerous professional boards that currently include the Alabama Virtual Library, the Network of Alabama Academic Libraries and the Montgomery City/County Public Library Board.
Franklin received a prestigious NEH Challenge grant to establish and endow the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University and received “Special Congressional Recognition” for her work with the Center. Her professional publications include a book entitled Database Ownership and Copyright Issues Among Automated Library Networks and book chapters in Achieving Diversity, “The HBCU Library Alliance and SOLINET: Partners in inclusion,” and Creating Community: Life and Learning at Montgomery’s Black University, “Genesis of the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture.” She successfully managed a 25 million dollar expansion of the Levi Watkins Learning Center at ASU and has received commendations for implementing her vision of “a cultural learning place.” In her capacity as Project Manager for the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture, she successfully led the effort to establish the National Park Service’s Montgomery Interpretive Center for the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March on the campus of ASU.
Dr. Franklin’s previous appointments include serving as Assistant Professor in Library Media at ASU, Adjunct Professor at the University of Alabama, Visiting Staff Member at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Library Director for the School of Library and Information Science at Texas Woman’s University, where she received the Ph.D. degree and Distinguished Alumni Award.
Dr. Franklin was appointed by the Montgomery County Commission. Her term expires 6/1/2026.