The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries, Inc. (CBHL) is a professional organization in the field of

botanical Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

and

horticultural Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

information services. Its purpose is to initiate and improve communication and coordinate activities and programs of mutual interest and benefit to its membership.

Mission

The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries, Inc. believes in the critical importance of collecting, preserving, and making accessible the accumulated knowledge about

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

s for present and future generations. Therefore, CBHL provides an organizational framework and an active forum for institutions and individuals concerned with fostering the advancement of botanical and horticultural information and information services. The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries, Inc. (CBHL) concerns: * the collection, preservation and dissemination of botanical and horticultural information. * an open and flexible organizational environment * an active and diverse membership * communication, cooperation and collaboration *

professionalism A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

leadership Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets view ...

History

The first meeting of

librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...

s interested in botanical and horticultural literature, was held in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

in November 1969, sponsored by the

Massachusetts Horticultural Society The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, sometimes abbreviated to MassHort, is an American horticultural society based in Massachusetts. It describes itself as the oldest formally organized horticultural institution in the United States. In its m ...

. Forty librarians from 20 institutions attended, and the same group met the following year in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

at the Hunt Botanical Library (now the

Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation (HIBD), dedicated as the Rachel McMasters Miller Hunt Botanical Library in 1961, is a research division of Carnegie Mellon University. History HIBD is named for Rachel McMasters Miller Hunt. She don ...

). At the end of the meeting, the group created The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries. Since its founding, CBHL has grown to become an international organization of individuals, organizations and institutions concerned with the development, maintenance and use of libraries of botanical and horticultural literature.

Awards

CBHL Annual Literature Award for a Significant Work in Botanical or Horticultural Literature

Created in 2000, the CBHL Annual Literature Award is given by CBHL to both the author and publisher of a work that makes a significant contribution to the literature of botany or horticulture.Hassert, R (2000). "Excellence in Botanical Literature". Taxon, 49: 603. The award is presented at CBHL's Annual Meeting and its purpose is to: * Recognize a work that makes a significant contribution to the literature of botany or horticulture * Increase the visibility of CBHL * Encourage participation by the CBHL community in recognizing significant contributions to the literature of the field

2010 Honorees

Technical category * ''Ireland's Wild Orchids: a Field Guide'' by Brendan Sayers and Susan Sex - published by the authors in 2008. General Interest category *''The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire, and the Birth of an Obsession'' by

Andrea Wulf Andrea Wulf (born 1972) is a German-British historian and writer who has written books, newspaper articles and book reviews. Biography Wulf was born in New Delhi, India, a child of German developmental aid workers, and spent the first five yea ...

- published by Knopf in 2009.

Charles Robert Long Award of Extraordinary Merit

The Charles Robert Long Award of Extraordinary Merit was the first and is the highest individual honor CBHL bestows. Created by CBHL members at the 1987 annual meeting, this award honors the memory of Bob Long, member and a former president of CBHL, editor of the CBHL Plant Bibliography series, and was for years on the staff of The New York Botanical Garden. This award was inspired by Long's commitment to

professional development Professional development is learning to earn or maintain professional credentials such as academic degrees to formal coursework, attending conferences, and informal learning Informal learning is characterized "by a low degree of planning and ...

, his support of high library and bibliographic standards, his interest in the collaborative efforts of libraries, and his continued search for professionalism in librarianship. The Charles Robert Long Award honors outstanding contributions and meritorious service to CBHL or to the field of botanical and horticultural libraries or literature.

Founders' Fund Travel Fellowship Award

The Travel Fellowship was established in 1991 by CBHL with an initial grant from a CBHL member and was created as a

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...

honoring past members. Income from memorial gifts is granted to applicants each year who request assistance to attend the annual meeting.

References

External links

*
List of Charles Robert Long Award recipients to 2013

{{DEFAULTSORT:Council On Botanical And Horticultural Libraries, Inc. (Cbhl) Professional associations based in the United States