Super historian and librarian Bernadette Lear has published several additional posts about Pennsylvania library history on her blog:
You can see previous posts at: https://palibhist.blogspot.com/
Will book clubs rise in popularity if people resist AI?
https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/gen-z-is-reinventing-the-book-club-and-its-awesome/91332394
***Apologies, the submission links were not live on the original posting.***
The Innovation and Advocacy in Library History Award
The Innovation and Advocacy in Library History Award is presented by the ALA Library History Round Table (LHRT) as a “best of year” achievement award that acknowledges individuals or organizations that have made recent, substantive contributions to LHRT or to the wider library history community. The intention of this non-monetary award is to recognize efforts that are ineligible for other LHRT prizes; thus, nominations which emphasize publication of articles, books, dissertations, or essays will not be considered.
Eligibility and Criteria
Nominations, including self-nominations, are welcomed from all interested parties but must pertain to activities taking place in the past two years. Nominations will be judged on the contributions’ quality, impact, and relevance to LHRT or the library history community. The LHRT is particularly interested in recognizing those who have promoted library history in exceptional or new ways or who have reached audiences that have not been engaged previously. Nominee membership in LHRT is encouraged but not required.
Submissions and Selection
Each nomination must include a brief statement thoroughly explaining the contribution or project and why the nominee is worthy of consideration. It must also include at least two (2) letters of support. Individual nominees must include a CV or resume, while organizational nominees must include a statement indicating the organization’s mission and other background information. Nominators of the same entity may be asked to collaborate to produce stronger applications and reduce duplicative effort. The selection of awardees will be made by an LHRT committee and will be announced in June 2026. Please submit nominations using this form by Friday, May 29, 2026. Contact Jennifer Bartlett, LHRT Chair, at jbartl22@utk.edu for more information.
The Distinguished Service in Library History Award
The Distinguished Service in Library History Award is presented annually by the ALA Library History Round Table (LHRT) and honors the career of a person who has a lifetime of scholarship and service in the field of library history. This non-monetary award is intended to be given to an individual who has a record of contributions; who demonstrates length, breadth, and depth of involvement in library history; and who has had a significant impact on the work of the ALA Library History Round Table or on the library history community at large.
Eligibility and Criteria
Criteria for the Award include the significance of contributions to library history, such as publications in the field, courses taught in library history, and service to the field through the LHRT or other groups. The intention of the Award is to recognize service; thus, nominations which emphasize research and publication and do not describe service or other activities pertaining to library history will not be considered. Personal membership in the LHRT is encouraged but is not required for an individual to be selected for the Award.
Submissions and Selection
Current LHRT members may submit a letter of nomination. The nomination must include the nominee’s curriculum vitae and at least two (2) letters of support. Nominators of the same individual may be asked to collaborate to produce stronger nominations and to reduce duplicate effort. The selection of the awardee will be made by an LHRT committee and will be announced in June 2026. Please submit nominations using this form by Friday, May 29, 2026. Contact Jennifer Bartlett, LHRT Chair, at jbartl22@utk.edu for more information.
Find out about free zoom talks on some fascinating topics! Titles include “Women’s Libraries and Their Afterlives” and “Indigenous Agency and Intervention in the Bibliographical Record”:
https://rarebookschool.org/resources/2026/05/rbs-reveals-summer-2026-lecture-series/
Dr. Anita Coleman discusses ALA Core’s browser recommendations as well as ALA Draft Guidance on the Use of AI in Libraries:
A new Infophilia post by Dr. Anita Coleman offers a non-tracking, completely private assessment we can take of our own information styles! Plus, find out about some upcoming book club and library talks!:
Vibe Coding in the Digital Ocean: Curiosity Meets Code, and the Future is a Beach
https://infophilia.substack.com/p/vibe-coding-in-the-digital-ocean
“As HMML marks 60 years of photographing at-risk manuscripts around the world, Executive Director Dr. Columba Stewart reflects on why preserving the world’s handwritten past matters more than ever. Manuscripts are unique, fragile handwritten documents that carry the memory, beliefs, languages, and identities of communities across centuries. From monasteries and libraries to private homes and refugee communities, these records preserve stories increasingly threatened by war, climate change, political upheaval, theft, and neglect. In some regions, manuscripts are even targeted for destruction by those seeking to erase the history and cultural identity of ancient communities.”
Find full details and registration for the live stream at:
“The Bibliographical Society is offering a new resource for presenting bibliographical digital data online. Our new resource is a ‘wiki farm’ which uses the technologies of MediaWiki and Semantic MediaWiki to host complex bibliographical datasets which benefit from the powerful indexing and hypertext linking capabilities of wikis.”
Check out the resources at https://bibsoc.org.uk/bibsocs-wikis/
