Through a life devoted to education and service, Bingham has played a vital role at the local, state and national levels and at the university. After receiving a bachelor's degree in education from IU in 1950, Bingham began her work in library services at Alcorn A&M College in Mississippi, and continued her education with a master's degree from the University of Tulsa in 1961 and a master's degree in library science from IU in 1969.

Bingham became director of media services in Louisville for the Kentucky Public Schools in 1969, and later was named director of library media services in the Jefferson County (Ky.) Public Schools, the 26th largest school system in the nation.

She has served as president of the alumni board of the IU School of Library and Information Science and was a founding member, past president and staunch advocate of the Neal-Marshall Alumni Club. In 1977, she was the first recipient of the Louise Maxwell Award for outstanding achievement in the field of library science. In 1999, she received the IU Alumni Association President's Award.

Bingham's career culminated with her appointment by then-President Bill Clinton to the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Services in 1998.