An accomplished librarian, Joyce Bullard Radcliff embarked on her professional journey at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1973 and became involved with the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Following this achievement, she joined the university as staff, serving as a technology assistant from 1974 to 1999. During this time, she obtained her Master of Library Science from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 1996 and spent time as a consultant for the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. From 1999 to 2001, she worked as a cataloging librarian with the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, and concurrently held a position on the executive board of the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alabama from 1997 to 2002.
In 2001, Ms. Radcliff joined Tennessee State University in Nashville as an assistant professor and serials librarian, positions she holds to this day. Over the course of her tenure, she has also served as a coordinator and art curator with Brown-Daniel Library on the university’s main campus and the Avon Williams Library of the Avon Williams campus since 2012. She additionally spent time as a member of the faculty senate between 2014 and 2018.
Alongside her primary career responsibilities, Ms. Radcliff is a regular contributor of articles to professional journals in the field of library science. In addition, she notably maintains professional affiliation with a number of professional organizations in order to keep abreast of developments in her field. These include the American Library Association, the National Council of Negro Women, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, NASIG, and the Tennessee Library Association.
Involved in her local community as well, Ms. Radcliff has donated her time and expertise to a variety of civic endeavors. Early on in her career, she was an adviser for the Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama in Mobile from 1982 to 1986 and for the Abeneefoo Kuo Honor Society from 1989 to 1999. She also spent a number of years involved with Reading is Fundamental, first from 1999 to 2002 and then as a member of the executive board from 2004 to 2006. Since 2002, she has been a greeter with the Frist Art Museum in Nashville.
For excellence in her career, Ms. Radcliff has been the recipient of a number of honors and accolades over the years. Receiving an Award of Appreciation from the Library of Congress in 1996, she was later presented with a Congress Award from Rep. Sonny Callahan in 2000. In 1999, the University of Southern Alabama named her Staff of the Year and presented her with an Award of Appreciation for her 25 years of service. In light of her accomplishments, she has previously been featured in a number of professional publications, including multiple editions of Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Education, Who’s Who in the World and Who’s Who of American Women.
Ms. Radcliff was born on November 10, 1946, to parents Robert and Rosanna Bullard. She has herself been happily married to her husband, Doc Radcliff, for many years, and together they are the proud parents of two children, Nicole R. Winston and Rasheda R. Banks.
