{{Short description|British archivist (born 1947)}} {{BLP sources|date=August 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}} {{Use British English|date=October 2016}} thumb|Prochaska in 2012 '''Alice Prochaska''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRHistS}} ({{née|'''Barwell'''}}; born 12 July 1947) is a British former archivist and librarian, who was Pro-vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford and Principal of Somerville College, Oxford, from 2010 to 2017.<ref name="debretts">{{cite web |url=http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/l/13160/Alice%20Marjorie%20Shei+la%20PROCHASKA.aspx| title=Dr Alice Prochaska | publisher=Debrett's |accessdate=15 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120911093222/https://debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/l/13160/Alice%20Marjorie%20Shei%2bla%20PROCHASKA.aspx|archive-date=11 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Celebrating the Past, Investing in the Future: Report for Donors for the financial period 01.08.12 - 31.07.13 |url=https://www.some.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Somerville-Donor-Report-2012-13.pdf |publisher=Somerville College |access-date=6 December 2024 |quote=Dr Alice Prochaska (Barwell) 1965}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Saturday interview: Dr Alice Prochaska |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/saturday-interview-dr-alice-prochaska-038rvgmjtgq |access-date=6 December 2024 |work=The Times |date=13 April 2013}}</ref>
==Career== Alice Prochaska studied at Somerville College in the University of Oxford and received BA and DPhil degrees in Modern History.
Prochaska was initially a museum curator, and then an archivist at the Public Record Office, now The National Archives. From 1984 to 1992 she was administrator and deputy director at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London. From 1992 to 2001 she was Director of Special Collections at the British Library. She then became head librarian at Yale University, United States, from 2001 to 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2003/nov/18/highereducation.worldclass8|title=Alice Prochaska | work=The Guardian | date=18 November 2003 |accessdate=15 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://opac.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=6786 |title=Yale Librarian Alice Prochaska To Step Down |publisher=Yale University, USA |work=Yale Bulletin |date=17 July 2009 |accessdate=15 July 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712042919/http://opac.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=6786 |archive-date=12 July 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> She became Principal of Somerville College from 1 September 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.some.ox.ac.uk/843-2972/all/1/Dr_Alice_Prochaska.aspx |title=Dr Alice Prochaska |publisher=Somerville College, University of Oxford |accessdate=11 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330074354/http://www.some.ox.ac.uk/843-2972/all/1/Dr_Alice_Prochaska.aspx |archive-date=30 March 2015 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2009/090618_1.html |title=Alice Prochaska next Principal of Somerville College |publisher=University of Oxford, UK |work=Press release |date=18 June 2009 |accessdate=15 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011092951/http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2009/090618_1.html |archivedate=11 October 2010 }}</ref> She was affectionately known as 'Ali P' by the student body.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cherwell.org/2016/10/09/popular-principal-of-somerville-to-retire/|title=Popular principal of Somerville to retire|last=Diver|first=Tony|date=2016-10-09|website=Cherwell.org|access-date=2016-10-13}}</ref> She stepped down at the end of her seven-year term in August 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.some.ox.ac.uk/news/principal-dr-alice-prochaska-to-step-down-next-year/|title=Principal Dr Alice Prochaska to step down next year — Somerville College Oxford|website=www.some.ox.ac.uk|date=4 October 2016 |access-date=2016-10-13}}</ref>
Prochaska was involved with the design of the first National Curriculum for history in the United Kingdom during 1989–90. She was a governor of London Guildhall University, now part of London Metropolitan University. She chaired the National Council on Archives and was a member of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts. Prochaska is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and served as vice-president from 1995 to 1999.<ref name="debretts" /> In the US she chaired the Center for Research Libraries and several committees of the Association of Research Libraries, served on the board of Yale University Press, and lectured on subjects relating to archives and special collections. During her tenure at Somerville she served as a Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford. She chairs the Sir Winston Churchill Archive Trust. She also lectures and publishes on topics related to national heritage and national identity.
Prochaska is an Honorary Fellow of Somerville College.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.some.ox.ac.uk/about-somerville/emeritus-and-honorary-fellows/|title=Emeritus and Honorary Fellows|access-date=26 August 2018|publisher=Somerville College, Oxford}}</ref>
==Personal life== Alice Prochaska was married to the historian Frank Prochaska (1941–2026).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.some.ox.ac.uk/news/frank-prochaska-to-speak-at-charity-commission-annual-public-meeting-in-westminster/ |title=Frank Prochaska to speak at Charity Commission Annual Public Meeting in Westminster |last= |first= |date=6 August 2015 |website= |publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>
==Books== * (1973) ''London in the Thirties'' (exhibition catalogue for the London Museum) {{ISBN|9780112901709}} * (1973) ''London since 1912'' (co-author with John T. Hayes) {{ISBN|9780112901457}} * (1976) ''Young Writers of the Thirties'' (exhibition catalogue for the National Portrait Gallery) {{ISBN|9780904017076}} * (1982) ''History of the General Federation of Trade Unions, 1899–1980'' {{ISBN|9780043310878}} * (1986) ''Irish History from 1700: a guide to sources in the Public Record Office'', Archives and the User '''6''': British Records Association. {{ISBN|9780900222078}} * (1987) ''Margaretta Acworth's Georgian Cookery Book'' (co-editor with Frank K. Prochaska) {{ISBN|9781851451241}}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150330074354/http://www.some.ox.ac.uk/843-2972/all/1/Dr_Alice_Prochaska.aspx Dr Alice Prochaska home page] *[http://principal2010.wordpress.com/author/principal2010/ Principal's blog] by Alice Prochaska
{{s-start}} {{s-aca}} {{succession box | before=Fiona Caldicott | title=Principal of Somerville College, Oxford | years=2010–2017 | after=Janet Royall, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon }} {{s-end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Prochaska, Alice}} Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford Category:Fellows of Somerville College, Oxford Category:English curators Category:English archivists Category:English librarians Category:British women historians Category:People associated with the University of London Category:Employees of the British Library Category:Yale University faculty Category:Principals of Somerville College, Oxford Category:People associated with London Metropolitan University Category:Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Category:Women academic administrators Category:British academic administrators Category:21st-century American academics Category:21st-century American women academics Category:21st-century American librarians Category:21st-century American women librarians Category:British women librarians Category:British librarians