Beta Phi Mu (also or βφμ) is an American

honor society In the United States, an honor society is an organization that recognizes individuals who rank above a set standard in various domains such as academics, leadership, and other personal achievements, not all of which are based on ranking systems. ...

for library & information science and

information technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

. Founded by a group of librarians and library educators, the society's express purpose is to recognize and encourage "superior academic achievement" among library and information studies students. Beta Phi Mu now has 31 active chapters in the U.S. and abroad, continues to sponsor various publications, and funds several scholarships.

History

Beta Phi Mu was founded in August 1948 at the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

Its founders were library educators and leading librarians. Beta Phi Mu was created as an honor society for information sciences to recognize the notable achievements within the profession. Rolland Stevens was its first president and Harold Lancour was its first executive secretary. Beta Phi Mu held its first initiation in Illinois in the spring of 1949 at the University of Illinois. In 1954, it presented its first Distinguished Service to Library Education Award; the award became an official award of the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

in 1956. The oldest library honor society in the United States, local Pi Lambda Sigma founded in 1903 at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

, became a chapter of Beta Phi Mu in 1959.''Special Libraries'', October 1959 (vol 50, no 8), p. 402.
/ref> Beta Phi Mu was admitted to the Association of College Honor Societies in 1969. The society becomes an affiliate of the

in 1998. As of August 2012, ΒΦΜ had initiated 40,000 members. In 2024, it has 23,000 active members.

Symbols

The society's name comes from the initials in the Greek phrase ''Bibliothekarios philax mathesis'', meaning "the librarian is the guardian of knowledge".Green, Carol (2015)
History of the Beta Phi Mu, Beta Psi chapter at The University of Southern Mississippi
" ''SLIS Connecting'': Vol. 4: Iss. 2, Article 3. DOI: 10.18785/slis.0402.03 Its motto is "''Aliis inserviendo consumor"'' or "consumed in the service of others". A

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and

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ', which itself comes from the Greek (). Anch ...

, the

mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

of Venetian printer

Aldus Manutius Aldus Pius Manutius (; ; 6 February 1515) was an Italian printer and Renaissance humanism, humanist who founded the Aldine Press. Manutius devoted the later part of his life to publishing and disseminating rare texts. His interest in and preser ...

, serves as the society's

insignia An insignia () is a sign or mark distinguishing a group, grade, rank, or function. It can be a symbol of personal power or that of an official group or governing body. An insignia, which is typically made of metal or fabric, is a standalone sy ...

. The society's colors, as signified on honor cords, are purple and white. Its publication is ''The Pipeline''.

Activities

The society presents the Beta Phi Mu Award to a library school faculty member or an individual for distinguished service to education for librarianship. The first award was made in 1954 to Rudolph Hjalmar Gjelsness, dean of the University of Michigan's Library Science Department from 1940 to 1964. Beta Phi Mu has a scholarship program for beginning students, members seeking continuing education and foreign study, and doctoral students. One of its main activities is the publication of its ''Monograph Series''.

Membership

Eligibility for membership in Beta Phi Mu is by invitation of the faculty from an ALA-accredited professional degree program. Invitations are extended only to individuals who complete the requirements for a master's degree and achieve at least a 3.75 (out of 4.0)

GPA Grading in education is the application of standardized measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentages, or as num ...

; invitations are further limited to a maximum of 25% of any given graduating class. Each eligible candidate must also be recommended for election by the faculty of the candidate’s school.

Chapters

The following list indicates active chapters in bold.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Student organizations established in 1948 Association of College Honor Societies Library-related organizations 1948 establishments in Illinois