Welcome to the blog’s celebration page for LHRT’s 75th Anniversary! You’ll find albums below that can help you reminisce or learn more about LHRT’s history and its members. We are immensely grateful to Cara Bertram at the ALA Archives, Andrew Wertheimer, and David M. Hovde for providing the photos below. Wayne Wiegand, Bernadette Lear, and Eric Novotny also contributed much in the way of ideas and information for the captions–many, many thanks to all of them for their work!
We need help compiling more photos from LHRT members! Please submit additional photos, as well as corrections to captions, to Brett Spencer, dbs21@psu.edu
This slide show highlights some of the pioneers in LHRT and ALA who formalized the subfield of library history. They showed that the methods of the humanities had as much place in the library profession as the social sciences. Their work lives on today as LHRT members build awareness of the infinite value of libraries in the past and draw out lessons of the past for today’s cultural storehouses. Towards the end of the show, you’ll also see images of some of the namesakes for LHRT’s programs and awards.
Louis Shores (Circa 1950). Image from ALA Archives. Shores gave the keynote address at LHRT’s founding in which he expressed this vision for library historians: “the chronicling of our professional achievement as manifested in the ever increasing dissemination of good ideas through libraries” (Quoted by Lee Shiflett in The American Library History Round Table: The First Quarter Century).
Shores later launched the Journal of Library History (JLH) and the Library History Seminar.
Wayne Shirley (Circa 1950). Image from ALA Archives. Shirley chaired the fledgling round table. Along with Louis Shores and N. Orwin Rush, he “kept the cause of historical studies before the library community through a period of increasing emphasis on technological change…[and] where research in library and information science was increasingly dominated by…the social sciences” (Lee Shiflett, The American Library History Round Table: The First Quarter Century).
N. Orwin Rush and John Mackay Shaw (1972). Image and caption from ALA Archives. Rush was a prominent early officer in LHRT and author of The History of College Libraries in Maine. Shaw was a librarian, bibliophile, and author who compiled one of the largest collections of children’s books in America, now housed at Florida State University. Shaw also composed Childhood in Poetry, an 11-volume bibliography,
John David Marshall, who helped the fledgling round table in many officer roles. He also had an inestimable impact on subsequent generations of librarians by writing library history textbooks. He is also famous for A Fable of Tomorrow’s Library (1965). Image courtesy of C&RL News.
Michael H. Harris (1972). Image from ALA Archives. A student of Shores, Harris rose to chair of LHRT in a “coup”, as some described it, and ushered in a new age of library historiography. He wrote dozens of works, including American Library History: A Bibliography. Lee Shiflett recounts Harris’ pivotal role in “The American Library History Round Table: The First Quarter Century.”
An LHRT Namesake: Eliza Atkins Gleason. (Credit: University of Louisville Photo Archives) Gleason was the first African American to earn a doctorate in library science. She authored the seminal book, The Southern Negro and the Public Library, that challenged the South’s segregated public libraries. LHRT honors her by presenting the Gleason Award to the best book on library history every third year.
An LHRT Namesake: Justin Winsor, the first ALA President from 1876-1885 and 1897. Image and description from ALA Archives. LHRT has created several awards to honor library leaders of the past, including the Justin Winsor Award to recognize the best essay in English in library history.
An LHRT Namesake: Dr. Edward Gailon Holley (November 26, 1927–February 18, 2010. Dr. Holley was a former ALA president and a revered scholar of library history. LHRT holds the Edward G. Holley Memorial Lecture each year to honor his legacy. This photo appeared in the LHRT Newsletter in 2010.
An LHRT Namesake: Donald G. Davis. (ca. 1990). A giant in the field of library history, He was honored as a “gentleman and a scholar” by acolytes in a special issue of Libraries & Culture (Vol. 40, No. 3,) in 2015. LHRT presents the Davis Award every two years to the best article written in English on library history.
An LHRT Namesake: Phyllis Dain. This image is from Leonia Public Library, where Dain served as Trustee from 1976-2018. Dain was a superb educator who taught in Columbia University’s library school from 1957-1995. LHRT celebrates her with the biennial Phyllis Dain Library History Dissertation Award. Her innumerable works include The New York Public Library: A History of its Founding and Early Years.
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Library History Seminar VI (1980)
LHRT, often partnering with other groups, offers a seminar every five years that features cutting edge scholarship on library history. Library History Seminar VI, “Libraries and Culture”, transpired on March 19-22, 1980 in Austin, Texas as coordinated by Donald G. Davis Jr. With over 100 people attending and 31 papers presented, sample talks included:
“Ancient Burials of Metal Documents in Stone Boxes: Their Implications for Library History”
“The Diary of the Human Race: Libraries in a Troubled Age”
“Stoic Influences in Librarianship: A Critique”
The proceedings were published in The Journal of Library History vol. 16, issues 1-2, 1981 (JSTOR).
Millicent Huff wrote that “the intellectual fare, informal discussion, book exhibits, tours to libraries, ample meal breaks, and social functions all helped make the seminar a memorable occasion for all in attendance.” She quoted a speech given by John Y. Cole, Director of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress, who observed that the group had “already become a rather effective special interest group on behalf of libraries and especially the interdisciplinary approach to the study of library history” and encouraged attendees “let’s keep pushing!” (Huff, Millicent. “‘Libraries and Culture’: A Brief Report of Library History Seminar VI.” The Journal of Library History (1974-1987) 15, no. 3 (1980): 309–19. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25541108.)
Marion Casey at the Library History Round Table’s Library History Seminar VI (1980).
Group at the Library History Round Table’s Library History Seminar VI, including Felix Almaraz, Jr., Donald Davis, and David Davies. (1980). Image from ALA Archives.
Robert Vosper and Elspeth Rostow at the Library History Round Table’s Library History Seminar VI (1980). Image from ALA Archives.
Presentation at the Library History Round Table’s Library History Seminar VI, including Sam Whitten, Larry Sullivan, Pamela Spence Richards, and Barry Weavill. (1980). Image and caption from ALA Archives.
Neil Harris at the Library History Round Table’s Library History Seminar VI (1980). Image and caption from ALA Archives.
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Library History Seminar VII (1985)
Donald G. Davis, a legend in the field, again coordinated the Library History Seminar in 1985, with this one themed “Libraries, Books & Culture” and centered at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Over 150 people, including seven doctoral students with travel grants, participated in the five plenary sessions and 24 papers presented by scholars from across the United States and three other countries. The National Endowment for the Humanities viewed the scholarly gathering as so important that they paid all the attendee’s registration fees with a $30,000 allocation! The seminar was dedicated to Charles Haynes McMullen, renowned book and library historian whosemany accomplishments included his tour de force American Libraries before 1876. Seminar papers included:
“The Book in History and the History of the Book”
“Books in Artisan Homes of Sixteenth-Century Germany”
“The Formation of American Bibliothecal Institutions”
“The Rental Library in Twentieth-Century America.”
Mary Pound summarized the conference in “‘Libraries, Books & Culture’: A Brief Report of Library History Seminar VII.” The Journal of Library History (1974-1987) 20, no. 4 (1985): 434–39. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25541657. The seminar proceedings are available in the 1986 issues (21: 1-2) of the Journal of Library History.
Wayne Wiegand and James Carmichael at the Library History Seminar VII (1985). Image and caption from ALA Archives.
A group at the Library History Round Table’s Library History Seminar VII (1985). Image and caption from ALA Archives.
Francis Miksa at the Library History Seminar VII reception at the National Humanities Center in North Carolina. Miksa, School of Library and Information Science at the University of Texas at Austin, won the Texas Excellence in Teaching Award three times, spearheaded some of the first electronic library conferences, and received the Margaret Mann Citation from the American Library Association. Image from ALA Archive.
Haynes McMullen and Francis Miksa conversing at the Library History Seminar VII lunch. Image and caption from ALA Archive. Dr. McMullen’s portrait served as the centerpiece of the seminar agenda according to Mary Pound.
Two attendees speaking together at the Library History Seminar VII reception at the National Humanities Center in North Carolina. Image and description from ALA Archives.
Attendees at the Library History Seminar VII reception at the National Humanities Center in North Carolina.
Two people at the registration desk for the Library History Seminar VII at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Image and description from ALA Archives.
Susan Steinfirst and Wayne Wiegand at the Library History Seminar VII at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Image and description from ALA Archives.
Two saxophonists provide entertainment at the Seminar! Dr. Wayne Wiegand recounts that his son, Scott, and his saxophone teacher, University of Louisville Music Professor Lee Patrick, were the two performers. Dr. Wiegand had asked both to entertain seminar attendees, so they had a few songs rehearsed. Image from ALA Archives.
Speakers at the Library History Seminar VII at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Image and description from ALA Archives.
Bob Williams, Dave Kaser, and Charley Seavey speaking together at the Library History Seminar VII at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Amy Holley Spitler, Don Oehlerts and another attendee at the Library History Seminar VII at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Image and description from ALA Archives.
Man reading a book at the Book Exhibit for the Library History Seminar VII at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Image and description from ALA Archives.
Marion Casey, John Cole, Margaret Rossiter, Paul Kaegbein, Laurel Grotzinger, and John Feather seated together at the Library History Seminar VII at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Image and description from ALA Archives.
Dr. and Mrs. McMullen, David Kaser, Bobbie Lee Holley, Arthur Young, and Mary Kingsbury seated together at the Library History Seminar VII at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Image and description from ALA Archives.
Exhibit of James Carmichael’s paper at the Library History Seminar VII at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Exhibit title reads “Anne Wallace and Southern Library Progress, 1892-1908.” Image and description from ALA Archives.
Laurel Grotzinger at the Library History Seminar VII reception at the National Humanities Center in North Carolina. Grotzinger pioneered research on women in the library profession, as through her book The Power and
the Dignity: Librarianship and Katharine Sharp. Image provided by ALA Archives.
Attendees at the Library History Seminar VII reception at the Library Science Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Image and description from ALA Archives.
Holly Willett and Anne Scott at the Library History Seminar VII at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Image and description from ALA Archives.
Coffee break during the Library History Round Table’s Library History Seminar VII, including Jane Aiken, Haynes McMullen, Donald Davis, and Marilyn Miller (1985). Image and caption from the ALA Archives.
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New Century, New Milestones
As LHRT entered the twenty-first century, members increasingly sought to highlight the work and experiences of oppressed groups in library history. Nicole A. Cooke lead the Black Librarians Project that recognized and celebrated the incredible accomplishments of Black women librarians. Brenda Mitchell-Powell, Mike Selby, Cheryl Knott, Toby Graham and others published books about civil rights and libraries. Wayne A. Wiegand and Shirley A. Wiegand spearheaded a program to recognize civil rights advocates and guide the American Library Association to apologize for the segregation of libraries.
Meanwhile, the Round Table expanded its membership and inaugurated its own scholarly journal, Libraries: Culture, History, & Society. Amanda Belantara and A.M. Alpin fused multimedia technology with artistic technique to capture and present library history in spectacular new ways, such as in the Rule No. 5 exhibit which won LHRT’s first Innovation and Advocacy Award.
Learn more about the work of LHRT in recent decades in the showcase below.
American Library Association’s resolution, presented on the Council floor in 2018, apologizing for segregated libraries. Dr. Wayne Wiegand and other LHRT members lead a campaign for this apology, publishing books and articles that exposed the injustices of segregation. Photo by Andrew Wertheimer.
LHRT recognizes the best in library history scholarship in several publishing formats. Margaret Hung received the LHRT Phyllis Dain Dissertation award in 2017 for her dissertation, “English Public Libraries, 1919-1975: Vocation and Popularisation” (Leeds Metropolitan University, 2015).
Mary Niall Mitchell speaking to attendees after the LHRT Edward G. Holley Memorial Lecture in New Orleans (2018). Her presentation was entitled “Girl in a Frame: Enslaved People, Their Stories, and the Archives in the Digital Age.”
Stephen Knowlton and Margaret Bausman at the LHRT Research Forum, American Library Association Conference, 2018.
In 2017, Bernadette Lear and Eric Novotny, Penn State University Libraries, co-founded LHRT’s scholarly journal, Libraries: Culture, History, & Society.
Dr. Nicole A. Cooke initiated and lead a highly successful project to document the often-overlooked contributions and stories of dozens of black women librarians through a special double issue of Libraries: Culture, History, & Society (vol. 6, issue 1, 2022) and a companion page in the “Specials” column on the blog.
Dr. Ana Ndumu and Ms. C. Kimmi Ramnine (University of Maryland iSchool) present “Libraries and the Americanization Crusade: A Biographical and Critical Study of John Foster Carr” at the LHRT Research Forum, “Walls, Wells, or Welcomes: Libraries in the Lives of Immigrants, Old and New,” at the 2019 ALA Conference in Washington DC.
LHRT Research Forum, “Walls, Wells, or Welcomes: Libraries in the Lives of Immigrants, Old and New,” at the 2019 ALA Conference in Washington DC..
Eric Novotny presents “Historical Responses to Immigration: Using New Technology to Explore Old Questions” at the LHRT Research Forum, “Walls, Wells, or Welcomes: Libraries in the Lives of Immigrants, Old and New,” at the 2019 ALA Conference in Washington DC.
LHRT established a book club-style series in 2021 entitled “LHRT Reads.” LHRT members and anyone interested can attend online discussions of key titles.
Drs. Wayne and Shirley Wiegand lead a series of commemorative programs at public libraries to give long-overdue recognition to the brave protestors who fought to open the doors of libraries to all Americans. Pictured above is one of the programs, entitled “Hidden Figures in American Library History: The Desegregation of Public Libraries in the Jim Crow South,” at the New Orleans Public Library in 2018. Photo by Andrew Wertheimer.
Dr. Wayne Wiegand, with Dr. Shirley Wiegand looking on, speaks at “Hidden Figures in American Library History:
The Desegregation of Public Libraries in the Jim Crow South” in New Orleans (2018).
Dr. Shirley Wiegand speaks at the program, “Hidden Figures In American Library History: The Desegregation of Public Libraries in the Jim Crow South,” in New Orleans in 2018. An image of civil rights protestors appears on the screen in the background.
LHRT Members featured in the blog’s Membership Spotlight column as of June 2023.
Amanda Belantara with her Rule No. 5 exhibit, a multi-media exhibit she created along with A.M. Alpin that won LHRT’s first Innovation and Advocacy Award in 2023.
A selection of books published by LHRT members in the 2000s. Many LHRT members sought to recount the stories of oppressed groups of librarians and patrons. These works are important to rectifying the historical record–and promoting social justice in today’s libraries.
Another gallery of books published by LHRT members in the 2000s…
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Fun and Fellowship
LHRTers work hard on their scholarship and conferences, but they also take time to tour historic libraries, learn about the local culture of the venues hosting their conferences, and build relationships with each other. Enjoy these photos of some of LHRT’s social events!
LHRT members pose for a group photo. Standing left to right: Nancy DuPree, Jennifer Burek Pierce?, unknown, Suzanne Stauffer, Cindy Welch, David Gracy, Steve Sowards, Lee Shifflet. Seated left to right: Mark Tucker?, Holly Willett, Ken Potts, Bernadette Lear, Andrew Wertheimer. Photo by Andrew Wertheimer.
LHRT members often make time at the ALA conferences to visit historic libraries. In this photo, members visit the Folger Shakespeare Library. Picture by Andrew Wertheimer.
Dinner with Library Historians (ALA Conference, 2019). Left-to-right: Bernadette Lear, Steve Knowlton, unknown, Anthony Bernier, unknown, Jenny Bossaller, Suzanne Stauffer, Eric Novotny, Amanda Sprochi. Photo and title by Andrew Wertheimer.
LHRT Dinner in 2014. Left-to-right: Tom Glynn, Nancy DuPree, unknown, Thomas Augst, Jenny Bossaller, Bernadette Lear, Benita Strnad. Photo by Andrew Wertheimer.
Seated: Mary Jo Lynch (ALA Liaison to LHRT for many years)
Front Row Standing Left-to-Right: Sybil Moses, Holly Willett.
Back Row: Steven Sowards, David M. Hovde, Lee Shiflett. Picture from David M. Hovde.
Andrew Wertheimer at a LHRT/RUSA tour of the Boston Athenæum.
Left-to-right: Don Davis, Andrew Wertheimer, John Mark Tucker. Photo from Andrew Wertheimer.
The first LHRT crossword puzzle! It appeared in the LHRT Newsletter Fall 2011. Solvers could mail their completed puzzle to Bernadette Lear for a prize.
First LHRT library history Jeopardy Game! Find it on the blog by typing Jeopardy into the search box.
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Random Reminisces
The ALA Conference exhibit floor. Film screening. Outreach on the web. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. This slide show presents a potpourri of images from LHRT’s past.
Dr. Donald G. Davis, School of Information at the University of Texas. His many scholarly accomplishments include coediting the Encyclopedia of Library History (with Wayne Wiegand) and The Dictionary of American Library Biography, Second Supplement. LHRT offers the biannual Donald G. Davis Article Award to recognize the best article written in English in the field of United States and Canadian library history.
Christine Pawley. Image from Andrew Wertheimer. Prolific library history book author. Director of the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the Center for the History of Print Culture in Modern America.
Christine Jenkins. Associate Professor Emerita, PhD, Library and Information Studies, Wisconsin-Madison. Preeminent historian of the history of children’s literature and young adult library services. Image from Andrew Wertheimer.
Ken Potts of California State University at LHRT booth at the ALA Conference Exhibit Hall. Photo by Andrew Wertheimer.
A former LHRT banner from the official web page, in use circa 2010.
LHRT Research Forum on History of Intellectual Freedom (2012?). Left-to-Right Standing: Mark McCallon and Joyce Latham. Left-to-Right Seated: Eric Novotny, Doug Campbell, unknown. Photo from Andrew Wertheimer.
Bernadette Lear presents at LHRT.
LHRT Holley Lecture–2014 ALA Annual Conference. Seated is Thomas Augst, and Bernadette Lear is introducing him. Photo from Andrew Wertheimer.
Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Betty Jenkins speaking about multicultural education at the 1990 Annual Conference. The program was cosponsored by the Library History Round Table, the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Black Caucus, and the Social Responsibilities Round Table.
The LHRT Leadership in 2022-3 as the association celebrated its 75th anniversary. Left-to-Right: Carol Leibiger (Past Chair), Emily Spunaugle (Chair), Steven Knowlton (Vice-Chair). Image provided by Emily Spunaugle.
Rebecca Romney, bookseller, author, and consulting rare book expert for the HISTORY Channel’s television show Pawn Stars), delivers the 2023 Edward Holley lecture. Her lecture was entitled “Cultural Memory, Community Work: Why Every Librarian Should Care About Rare Books.” Image provided by Emily Spunaugle.
Audience at the LHRT Holley Lecture in 2023. Image provided by Emily Spunaugle.
Mark Tucker. Photo by Andrew Wertheimer.
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The ALA Archives
The American Library Association Archives is foundational to library historiography. Serving as the repository for the world’s oldest national library association, the Archives was founded in 1973 when ALA concluded an agreement with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Archives to preserve its materials there. The holdings include official documents, conference proceedings, letters, photos, multimedia, and scrapbooks. Cara S. Bertram currently serves as the Archives Program Officer.
Every library history enthusiast should explore the rich digital collections of the Archives, where you’ll discover vintage photos of card catalogs, reference desks, early technological applications, celebrities in libraries, library architecture, historic library workers, patron usage vignettes, and much more! Be sure to read the Archives blog as well for fascinating stories of libraries’ past. Questions about the Archives can be directed to ala-archives@library.illinois.edu
Get a glimpse of the venerable Archives and its history in the slide show below.
William Maher, archivist at the University of Illinois, and Joel Lee, ALA Librarian, demonstrating PARADIGM on-line subject index to the American Library Association Archives at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (1978) Image and caption provided by ALA Archives.
Maynard Brichford, University Archivist at the University of Illinois Library, Urbana-Champaign, with graduate assistant Harriet Alexander, with the first accession of materials to the ALA Archives. (1973) Image and caption provided by ALA Archives.
Stacks at the ALA Archives. The Archives offers historical records from most of ALA’s divisions and round tables as well as some affiliated organizations. Image provided by ALA Archives.
ALA Archives graduate assistant office/processing room. (2022). Image provided by ALA Archives.
ALA Archives office/consultation room. (2021). Image provided by ALA Archives.
Getting Acquainted with the Catalog, Cleveland Public Library, 1939. Courtesy of American Library Association Archives. This photo is a sample of the content available in the amazing virtual collections of the ALA Archives. The images capture countless moments related to library life, including interactions between patrons and librarians.
An analysis of the Library History Seminars can be found in: Goedeken, Edward A. “The Library Historian’s Field of Dreams: A Profile of the First Nine Seminars.” Libraries & Culture 35, no. 1 (2000): 161–72. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25548805.
A timeline of LHRT’s history is available in: Wertheimer, Andrew B., and John David Marshall. “Fifty Years of Promoting Library History: A Chronology of the ALA (American) Library History Round Table, 1947-1997.” Libraries & Culture 35, no. 1 (2000): 215–39. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25548808.
The story of how LHRT gave birth to the Journal of Library History is recounted in: Davis, Donald G., Jr. “An Odyssey in Scholarly Library History: JLH / L&C at 35.” 65th IFLA Council and General Conference, Bangkok, Thailand, August 20 – August 28, 1999. http://origin-archive.ifla.org/IV/ifla65/papers/088-138e.htm
