Cincinnati, Ohio (June 25, 1912 – December 3, 1984) age 74 yrs

Virginia Lacy Jones was an American librarian. Throughout her 50-year career in the field, she pushed for the integration of public and academic libraries. She was one of the first African Americans to earn a PhD in Library Science. She became the dean of Atlanta University’s School of Library Sciences. Jones attended the Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia. It was the only library school in the south at the time where African Americans were trained. She earned a B.S. in Library Science in 1933 and a B.S. in Social Studies Education in 1935. During Jones’ second tenure at Hampton, Jones was invited to attend the American Library Association’s annual conference in Richmond, Virginia. Other faculty and students were also invited. The Black participants were unable attend the exhibits. They could not stay in the provided accommodations. Special arrangements had to be made for them to attend the regular meetings. Because of her fair complexion, Jones pass for white. As a result, she stayed at the hotel and view the exhibits. Jones later stated, “I never liked the idea of passing for white, but I did it, nevertheless… I had mixed feelings about doing so… on the other hand, I felt a sense of triumph in outsmarting the blatant and cruel racial discrimination of whites.”