The Library History Round Table encourages research and publication on library history and promotes awareness and discussion of historical issues in librarianship. It "exists to facilitate communication among scholars and students of library history, to support research in library history, and to be active in issues, such as preservation, that concern library historians." It is part 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, with 49,727 members ...

Louis Shores Louis Shores (September 14, 1904 – June 19, 1981) was a librarian who worked for the promotion of the library as the center of all learning, in both public and academic institutions. Shores was recognized for his integration of audiovisual materi ...

and Wayne Shirley were instrumental in founding the Library History Round Table in 1947. The American Library Association archives were established with input and support by the Library History Round Table.

Publications

The Library History Round Table's official peer-reviewed journal is ''Libraries: Culture, History, and Society.'' ''LHRT News and Notes'' is the blog of the Library History Round Table.

Database of Library History

The Library History Round Table publishes the "Bibliography of Library History" database. The database contains over 7,000 entries for books, articles, and theses in library history and related fields published since 1990.

Awards

*The Justin Winsor Prize is awarded for the year's best library history essay. The award was established in 1978 and named for the American Library Association's first president,

Justin Winsor Justin Winsor (January 2, 1831October 22, 1897) was an American writer, librarian, and historian. His historical work had strong bibliographical and cartographical elements. He was an authority on the early history of North America and was elec ...

, a writer, historian, and the long-time librarian at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. Honorees have included Steven Knowlton, Jennifer Burek Pierce,

Robert S. Martin Robert Sidney Martin, Ph.D. (born 1949) is an American librarian, archivist, administrator, and educator. He is Professor Emeritus, School of Library and Information Studies, Texas Woman’s University, where he was the Lillian M. Bradshaw Endowed ...

Wayne A. Wiegand Wayne August Wiegand (born April 15, 1946) is an American library historian, author, and academic. Wiegand retired as F. William Summers Professor of Library and Information Studies and Professor of American Studies at Florida State University ...

and

John V. Richardson Jr. John Vinson Richardson Jr. is an American professor of information studies at University of California, Los Angeles, with a significant record of research and publications on intelligent question answering systems, reference service, and history o ...

*The Donald G. Davis Article Award is presented biannually to recognize the best article written in English in the field of library history in the last two years. The first award in 2000 was to Louise Robbins for "Fighting McCarthyism Through Film: A Library Censorship Case Becomes a Storm Center." *The

Eliza Atkins Gleason Book Award Eliza Atkins Gleason Book Award is presented by the Library History Round Table of the American Library Association every third year to recognize the best book written in English in the field of library history, including the history of libraries, l ...

is presented every third year to recognize the best book written in English in the field of library history, including the history of libraries, librarianship, and book culture. The award is named after Eliza Atkins Gleason, the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in librarianship in 1940 at the

University of Chicago Graduate Library School The University of Chicago Graduate Library School (GLS) was established in 1928 to develop a program for the graduate education of librarians with a focus on research. Housed for a time in the Joseph Regenstein Library, the GLS closed in 1989. GLS ...

. Honorees have included

Louise Robbins Louise S. Robbins is an American academic and formerly director of the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Library and Information Studies. Robbins has won awards for her articles and books dealing with the history of librarians and inte ...

, Christine Pawley, and

Mary Niles Maack Mary Niles Maack (December 1945 – January 23, 2023) was an American librarian and scholar known for her work on comparative librarianship and the history of the book. Early life and education Maack was born in Paris, Illinois in 1945 to Augu ...

. *Phyllis Dain Library History Dissertation Award recognizes outstanding dissertations in English in the general area of library history. It was first awarded in 1991 to Plummer Alston Jones Jr. for his dissertation, "American Public Library Service to the Immigrant Community, 1876-1948." * The "Innovation and Advocacy in Library History Award" acknowledges individuals or organizations that have made recent, substantive contributions to LHRT or to the wider library history community. It recognizes those who have promoted library history in exceptional or new ways or who have reached audiences that have not been engaged previously. Amanda Belantara and A.M. Alpin received the inaugural Award in 2023. *The Distinguished Service in Library History Award honors the career of a person who has a lifetime of scholarship and service in the field of library history. Andrew Wertheimer received the inaugural Award in 2023.The Library History Round Table (LHRT) of the American Library Association announces Dr. Andrew Wertheimer as the inaugural winner of the Distinguished Service in Library History Award.
American Library Association. Library History Round Table, July 18, 2023.

Additional reading

*Davis Jr., D. G. (2023). Memories of the ALA Library History Round Table. ''Libraries: Culture, History & Society'', 7(2), 155–160. *Goedeken, Edward A. 2000. “The Library Historian’s Field of Dreams: A Profile of the First Nine Seminars.” ''Libraries & Culture'' 35 (1): 161–72. *Hérubel, J.-P. V. M., & Goedeken, E. A. (1994). Journals publishing American library history: a research note. ''Libraries & Culture'', 29, 205–209. *Krummel, D.W
Fiat lux, fiat latebra: a celebration of historical library functions.
Graduate School of Library and Information Science. University of Illinois.Occasional Paper 209.August, 1999. *Krummel, D.W. 2000. “Historical Bibliography and Library History.” ''Libraries & Culture'' 35 (1): 155. *Lear, Bernadette A. "LHRT Leadership, Programs, and Awards, 1998–2023."''Libraries: Culture, History, and Society.'' 7, No. 2, 2023: 181–215. *Lear, Bernadette A. 2023. “Library History as a Community.” ''Libraries: Culture, History & Society'' 7 (1): 83–90. *Robbins, Louise S. 2023. “LHRT: The Importance of Our History.” ''Libraries: Culture, History & Society'' 7 (1): 80–82. *Tucker, John Mark. 2000. “Clio’s Workshop: Resources for Historical Studies in American Librarianship.” ''Libraries & Culture'' 35 (1): 192. *Wiegand, Wayne A. 2023. “Remembering LHRT.” ''Libraries: Culture, History & Society'' 7 (1): 66–71.

References

{{reflist Library history Organizations established in 1947 Historians of libraries American Library Association Cultural heritage

Publications

Database of Library History

Awards

Additional reading

External links

References