Julia Brady Ratliff

Julia fell in love with libraries as a little girl, often reading the day away at the Carnegie Library in Tulsa. Her family lived in the country and check out privileges ended at the city limits. When she was a teenager, Allie Beth Martin, an Oklahoma Library Legend, created Tulsa’s bookmobile and Julia could finally bring home books. Allie Beth also introduced Julia to the best children’s books, important when she became a teacher. During her teaching career, Julia was Tulsa’s Teacher of the Year and among the final eight in Oklahoma for Teacher in Space. She retired into her community as an advocate for global understanding and for public libraries. She was Volunteer of the Year because of her work with global education.

Julia’s most beloved volunteer activity became her work with Oklahoma libraries. She was on Steering Committees for many Tulsa County Library Bond issues and on Planning Committees for the Tulsa Library’s Distinguished Author Dinners. She was on the Oklahoma Department of Libraries Board and on the Boards of Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries, Friends of Libraries in Oklahoma, FOLIO, and Friends of Libraries USA, FOLUSA. She was elected President of FOLIO and for two years FOLIO was her life. She recruited the best Friends to invigorate the FOLIO Board. She contacted Oklahoma Foundations to support FOLIO and they did, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation with funds for seed grants, the McCasland Foundation with resource development, and the Anne and Henry Zarrow Family Foundation with general expenses. Oklahoma Literary Landmarks, an official Centennial project, was started while she was President and as of 2007, nine sites will be listed on FOLUSA’s National Literary Landmark Register. Julia received the Oklahoma Library Association Special Meritorious Service Award, was placed on the National Library Advocacy Honor Roll, and the FOLIO Hall of Fame. Family matters now occupy Julia so she has started a new phase of her library life as editor of the FOLIO newsletter, a task she can do right at home.