Library History Round Table

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.

Louis Shores 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 as recounted by archivist Maynard J. Brichford.

Publications and Lectures

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.

The Edward G. Holley Memorial Lecture, established in memory of Holley is held annually at the American Library Association Conference.

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. Eric C. Novotny, founder of the database, was honored with the 2025 Innovation and Advocacy in Library History Award.

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, a writer, historian, and the long-time librarian at Harvard University. Honorees have included Steven Knowlton, Jennifer Burek Pierce, Robert S. Martin, Wayne A. Wiegand and John V. Richardson Jr.
*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 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. Honorees have included Louise Robbins, Christine Pawley, and Mary Niles Maack.
*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.
*Shiflett, Orvin Lee. 1984. "Clio's Claim: The Role of Historical Research in Library and Information Science" ''Library Trends'' 32 (Spring 1984): 385-406.
*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.

External links

Bibliography of Library History Database
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LHRT News and Notes
'
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Libraries: Culture, History, and Society
'' official peer-reviewed journal of the Library History Round Table of the American Library Association.
Library History Round Table
(website)

References

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