Hello everyone,
Enjoy learning about ALAIR, the open access repository for the American Library Association, in this slide show from ALA Archivist Cara Bertram:
https://alair.ala.org/handle/11213/19812
ALAIR is a place that all of our ALA groups can consider using for their materials. Those researching the history of ALA and libraries can also search through it for primary sources along with the other tools provided by ALA Archives!
Hello everyone,
Apologies for the broken link in the previous post! Here is the correct link to register for the LHRT Research Forum:
https://ala-events.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUtcu-uqDsrGteJ4fwDAssvOHOxZz4atdQv#/registration
Thanks,
Brett
You are cordially invited to attend the annual Research Forum sponsored by the Library History Round Table. The theme this year is “Unpacking Access”.
The forum is online, open to all, and free. It will be held Tuesday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern.
Our speakers are:
· Amanda Rizki (University of Virginia Library), “Carceral Fees: A History of Racism at the Circulation Desk”
· Ethan Lindsay (Wichita State University Library), “Extending Library Access to Readers Across the Plains: The Early Traveling Libraries Program in Kansas”
Register here:
https://ala-events.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUtcu-uqDsrGteJ4fwDAssvOHOxZz4atdQv#/registration
(Note: in the second, unlabelled question, please submit any topics you would like LHRT to explore in future Research Fora)
Steven Knowlton
Librarian for History and African American Studies
Princeton University
The blog is pleased to announce the publication of two new papers in our “Themes Through the Ages” column!: https://lhrt.news/themes-in-library-history/
Jacob Shriner has written a paper about the history of censorship in America. Megan Shepherd has composed a piece about the links between the rise of capitalism and free public libraries.
Mr. Shriner and Ms. Shepherd completed these papers as part of Professor Christopher Proctor’s LIS-S580 History of Libraries in the Department of Library and Information Science at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Find out more about them and enjoy their papers at https://lhrt.news/themes-in-library-history/
Many thanks to both of them for sharing some great research with us!
Read about her incredible life and legacy:
Hello everyone!
Please see below for some updates from LHRT Chair Emily Spunaugle:
“*Join us Thursday, May 18 at 7:00p ET for our virtual bookclub LHRT Reads! discussion of the Dee Garrison’s libhist classic, The Apostles of Culture: The Public Librarian and American Society, 1876-1920. Register in advance here! More information is also available on Michele Fenton’s recent ALA Connect post. Can’t wait to see you there!
*Our annual Research Forum, this year themed “Unpacking Access,” will be held virtually on Tuesday, June 13 at 3:00p ET. Our two selected speakers will be:
Keep your eyes peeled for registration information!
*LHRT will also be in-person at ALA Annual in Chicago! Our Edward G. Holley lecturer is bookseller, author, (and consulting rare book expert on the HISTORY Channel’s television show Pawn Stars) Rebecca Romney! Rebecca’s lecture, “Cultural Memory, Community Work: Why Every Librarian Should Care About Rare Books,” is on Sunday, June 25, from 10:30-11:30a CT at McCormick Place. For all those attending ALA in person, we’ll see you there.
Volunteer Opportunities (LIS students, you’re especially welcome!)
*Our next Library History Seminar (LHS)–a quinquennial conference celebrating the histories of libraries, their workers, and users–will be held online in 2026. Virtual conferences, although online, still require considerable work. Curious what our last LHS was like? You can browse the conference website here. If you have experience or simply interest! in conference planning and would like to help put together LHS XV, please contact @Emily Spunaugle
*LHRT Website Review–Our beloved website, https://www.ala.org/rt/lhrt, is due for a review! Our website is the first point of contact we have with you, our current members, with prospective members, and others. We’re looking for members interested in joining our current volunteer webmaster to review our site for broken links, incorrect information, and inconsistent formatting. If you have a sharp eye, a flair for public-facing writing, or are simply willing to click through pages with us, contact @Emily Spunaugle
*LHRT Oral History Project–To help document our own history, the LHRT Executive Committee has approved an LHRT Oral History Project to interview some of our longtime members. If you’ve experience (or simply interest!) in taking oral histories, contact Andrew Wertheimer, who has graciously agreed to head up this important work.
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Emily Spunaugle
Humanities and Rare Books Librarian
Oakland University
She/Her/Hers”
Check out the trailer for what looks to be a fascinating documentary: https://deadline.com/video/umberto-eco-a-library-of-the-world-cinema-guild-documentary-acquisition-news/