CHARLES E. BEARD                               

Charles E. Beard, Professor and Director of University Libraries at the University of West Georgia, a nationally recognized leader in the library community provided the vision and commitment to service that helped navigate Ingram Library through a period of rapid technological change that has forever altered librarianship and academic research. He was instrumental in advancing and extending access to GALILEO to all libraries and educational institutions in Georgia. Charles was a leader in the national library community, actively participating in professional associations, including the American Library Association, the Southeastern Library Association, the Georgia Library Association, the White House Conference on Libraries, the Regents Academic Committee on Libraries, the Georgia State Board for certification of librarians, and the Advisory Board of the Georgia Center for the Book.

The Charles E. Beard Ingram Library Endowment Fund 

The faculty and staff of the Irvine Sullivan Ingram Library, under the leadership of the late Director of University Libraries Charles E. Beard, established the Ingram Library Lecture in 2001. Beginning in 2007, the library proposes to support the lecture through the Charles E. Beard Ingram Library Endowment, and to name the lecture in his honor in celebration of the University of West Georgia's centennial. The centennial theme "From Rural Roots to Global Reach: Celebrating a Century of Success" thematically links the work of the library's namesake, Irvine Sullivan Ingram, with the work of Charles E. Beard. Dr. Ingram served as last principal of the Fourth District Agricultural & Mechanical School which evolved to become West Georgia College, over which he presided as the institution's first president. Charles E. Beard assumed the position of Director of Libraries at West Georgia College in 1978, and led the library through a period of dynamic change that altered the course of library services and programs. His support and advocacy for the development of GALILEO, one of the first web-based initiatives of its kind, made a wide realm of information resources available to all Georgians. Contributions to the Charles E. Beard Ingram Library Endowment may be made to:

University of West Georgia Foundation, Inc.
University of West Georgia
1601 Maple Street
Carrollton, GA 30118