The Library History Round Table (LHRT) of the American Library Association (ALA) invites submissions for the Justin Winsor Library History Essay Award. The Justin Winsor Library History Award is given annually to recognize the best essay written in English on library history. The award is named in honor of the distinguished nineteenth-century librarian, historian, and bibliographer who was also ALA’s first president. It consists of a certificate and a $500 cash award, as well as an invitation to have the winner’s essay considered for publication in Libraries: Culture, History, and Society.

Criteria

Manuscripts submitted should not be previously published, previously submitted for publication, or under consideration for publication or another award. To be considered, essays should embody original historical research on a significant topic in library history, be based on primary sources whenever possible, and use good English composition and superior style. The Library History Round Table is particularly interested in works that place the subject within its broader historical, social, cultural, and political context and make interdisciplinary connections with print culture and information studies.

Essays should be organized in a form similar to that of articles published in Libraries: Culture, History, and Society, with footnotes, spelling, and punctuation conforming to the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style. Papers should not exceed thirty-five typewritten, double-spaced pages (plus footnotes and bibliography).

Submissions and Selection

Applicants must submit their manuscripts electronically. Applications must be received by February 23, 2023. The application deadline is firm and any submissions received after the deadline will not be forwarded to the committee.

Please upload your  manuscripts electronically via the web form:  https://airtable.com/shrYdO92X6tfTW3oe

Interested applicants can direct inquiries to Stacy Hisle, Windsor Award Committee Chair, sdh17440@gmail.com, please use LHRT Winsor Award in the subject line.

Nathan M. Greenfield writes that “The American Historical Association (AHA) announced earlier this month that, subject to post hoc peer review, newspaper opinion essays, magazine articles, textbooks, museum exhibitions and catalogues, media appearances and podcasts could be included in hiring, promotion or tenure review portfolios…”

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20230120134322252

This free event will encompass a theme of Black librarian history!:

https://umd.libcal.com/event/10196921

This new ACRL book may be of interest to many in the library history community:

https://www.alastore.ala.org/content/cultural-heritage-and-campus-community-academic-libraries-and-museums-collaboration

https://www.wvxu.org/podcast/oki-wanna-know/2022-06-15/oki-wanna-know-what-happened-old-cincinnati-library

Find the answers in “Our Tote Bags, Our Selves” by Maija Kappler with photography by Vicky Lam, in The Walrus:

In Summer 2022, we invited past and present members to send us brief essays, photos, videos, and other documentation of their experiences with LHRT.  Happily, the next issue of LCHS will include material from 5 contributors, and that the blog will include an oral history interview with longtime LHRT member Ed Goedeken. 

We are very grateful for the submissions we’ve received so far, but they are only a starting point. With this second call, we encourage all members to share their stories. At this point, we have only 2 contributions from women; only 1 contribution from someone younger than 60; no contributions from members who work (or worked) primarily outside of academia; no contributions from Black, Latina/o/x, Asian, Native, or other persons of color; and no contributions from LGBTQ+ members. We want to ensure that multiple generations and members of diverse backgrounds are included as we try to share and collectively reflect upon LHRT’s history. So, if you have stories to tell or insights to share, please contact us at LCHS@press.psu.edu!

Essays for consideration in volume 7, number 2, of LCHS are due by Friday, March 10, 2023. Submissions should be 500-3,000 words (roughly 2-7 pages, 12-point font, double-spaced) and written in the first-person point of view. Citations/endnotes are not required unless there are quotations. Deadlines and formatting for submissions to LHRT News and Notes are flexible. All submissions will be editorially reviewed. Selected multimedia items will be added to either the journal or the blog as the platforms allow. We welcome digital photos; scans of historic documents, scans of conference programs and artifacts; and digital videos or podcasts of former or current LHRT members sharing their reminiscences. Constructive criticism of LHRT is welcome but should be delivered with civility and respect. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

*Personal accounts of, or reflections on, initiatives, events, decades, moments, or people in LHRT’s history

*Gender, race, class, and other perspectives on being a member or leader in LHRT 

*LHRT’s impacts on professional, scholarly, and/or personal trajectories

*LHRT’s contributions to library history, LIS, and other disciplines

*Paths not taken or lost opportunities in LHRT

*Lessons learned and insights gained from LHRT’s history

*Lessons learned from personal involvement in LHRT

*Hopes for LHRT’s present and future

*Words of wisdom for future members and leaders of LHRT

For questions, please contact the LCHS editors, Bernadette A. Lear (BAL19@psu.edu) and Eric C. Novotny (ECN1@psu.edu), and/or LHRT News and Notes editor Brett Spencer (DBS21@psu.edu).

Looking forward to everyone’s submissions!

Bernadette  🙂

Bernadette A. Lear 

Education, Behavioral Sciences, and Social Sciences Librarian

Penn State University Libraries

BAL19@psu.edu | 717-948-6360

Administrator, Literary and Cultural Heritage Maps of Pennsylvania

Co-Editor, Libraries: Culture, History, and Society

Editorial Advisory Board Member, Children and Libraries