John S. Richards (February 16, 1892 – December 3, 1979) was a librarian who served as the president of the American Library Association from 1955 to 1956.

[1]: 108  His family moved to the Pacific Northwest when he was four years old, and he grew up in Yakima Valley.

[2] He subsequently held a number of librarian jobs, including positions at the Idaho Technology Institute from 1920 to 1923, the Washington State Normal School from 1923 to 1926, the University of California, Berkeley Library from 1926 to 1934, and the University of Washington Library from 1934 to 1942.

[4] Richards also strengthened the Seattle Friends of the Libraries group, with regular discussions geared towards community needs.

[1]: 110  During the McCarthy era, Richards noticed a list of "dangerous" books being distributed within the library; he argued that this attempt at censorship must be recognized for "the gangsterism that it is and must be combatted.