LHRT NEWS AND NOTES

Phyllis Dain Library History Dissertation Award

Library History Round Table (LHRT)

American Library Association

CHICAGO — The Library History Round Table (LHRT) is pleased to announce that this year’s Phyllis Dain Library History Dissertation Award winner is Dr. Alexandra (Alex) Schultz for her dissertation, “Imagined Histories: Hellenistic Libraries and the Idea of Greece.” Dr. Schultz is currently a Research Fellow in Classics at Jesus College, Cambridge, and will start as an Assistant Professor of Classics at Dartmouth College in July. She received her Ph.D. in Classical Philology from Harvard University (2021). Her dissertation examines the histories of Hellenistic libraries, actual and imaginary, and how these shaped ideas about Greece, Rome, and the supposed origins of Western Civilization.

Dr. Schultz’s ambitious and thorough work impressed members of the award committee, and deserves the Library History Round Table’s praise for her argument that “Only by studying the history of libraries as institutions and as ideas can we understand this important confluence of literature and power in the ancient world” (35). Her massive research scope included exploration of the shift from private, personal collections to immense public-facing libraries in the wake of Alexander the Great’s conquests. Instead of emphasizing great men narratives of library establishment, she highlights the roles of ordinary people, from free male citizens to enslaved knowledge workers, in building and sustaining private and public libraries.

The biennial Phyllis Dain Library History Dissertation Award, named in honor of a library historian widely known as a supportive advisor and mentor as well as a rigorous scholar and thinker, recognizes outstanding dissertations in English in the general area of library history. The author of the selected dissertation receives a certificate and five hundred dollars.

We would like to highlight some exciting work being done on the history of South California libraries. Tiffney Sanford, Administrative Clerk at the Los Angeles Public Library, has authored a series of wonderfully-crafted posts on LAPL’s blog that offer stories and images that you’ll find intriguing! Many thanks to her for bringing the history of one of America’s largest libraries to the web.

Library workers

Eleanor Brodie Jones: Hollywood Star Librarian

https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/librarian-history-eleanor-brodie-jones

Monica Shannon: Advocate for Libraries, Leprechauns and Luckless Pigwidgeons

https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/monica-shannon-advocate-libraries-leprechauns-and-luckless

Celebrating Mr. Cobb on National Library Workers Day

http://lalibrarytour.blogspot.com/2022/04/celebrating-mr-cobb-on-national-library.html

Libraries

The Library and the Department Store: Hamburger Building (1908-1914)

https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/library-and-department-store-hamburger-building-1908-1914

Dig Los Angeles: Hollywood Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library

https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/dig-los-angeles-hollywood-branch-los-angeles-public-library

Los Angeles Public Library Moved to City Hall in 1889

http://lalibrarytour.blogspot.com/2021/09/los-angeles-public-library-moved-to.html

Los Angeles Public Library Opens in the Metropolitan Building

http://lalibrarytour.blogspot.com/2021/06/los-angeles-public-library-opens-in.html

The 7½ Los Angeles Public Library Branches Named After Women

https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/seven-half-los-angeles-public-library-branches-named-after-women

Libraries in Southern California Named After Women

http://lalibrarytour.blogspot.com/2022/03/libraries-in-southern-california-named.html

Pomona Carnegie Library Opened June 11, 1903

http://lalibrarytour.blogspot.com/2021/06/pomona-carnegie-library-opened-june-11.html

The Story of the Texas Twin to the Old Lancaster Branch of the Los Angeles County Library

http://lalibrarytour.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-story-of-texas-twin-to-old.html

Library services

Tribute to the Traveling Branch

https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/tribute-traveling-branch

A Look at the Mobilibraries of the Los Angeles County Library

http://lalibrarytour.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-look-at-mobilibraries-of-los-angeles.html

The Wartime Information Desk of the Los Angeles Public Library

http://lalibrarytour.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-wartime-information-desk-of-los.html

Reading Spaces in Modern Japan: The Evolution of Sites and Practices of Reading

Summary from Publisher Site: “This study provides an accessible overview of the range of reading spaces in modern Japan, and the evolution thereof from a historical perspective.”

https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009181020

The book is available to view online for free until March 22nd!:

Congratulations to Sara A. Howard and Steven A. Knowlton on this publication!:

Browsing through Bias: The Library of Congress Classification and Subject Headings for African American Studies and LGBTQIA Studies

Authored by Sara A. Howard and Steven A. Knowlton

Library Trends 67 (1), Summer 2018

The article was recently announced to be among the most-read Hopkins Press articles for 2022 in Project MUSE database!

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 the new
extended deadline of March 21, 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, Winsor Award Committee Chair,
sdh17440@gmail.com, please use LHRT Winsor Award in the subject line.

Find the full details on this new book by Thomas E. Johnson, Jr. at https://commonplace-book.online/

Check it out for Valentine’s Week!: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/14/books/review/library-public-local.html

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.

The Library History Round Table (LHRT) of the American Library Association (ALA) seeks nominations for the Distinguished Service in Library History Award. The Award 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 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 ALA’s Library History Round Table or on the library history community at large. The intention of the Award is to recognize service; thus, nominations which emphasize research/publication and do not describe service or other activities pertaining to library history will not be considered. Personal membership in LHRT is encouraged but is not required for an individual to be selected for the Award.

Selection of an awardee will be made by an LHRT committee. Nominations must be made by an LHRT member; a letter of nomination should be made by April 15, 2023. 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. 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 LHRT or other groups. Nominations should be sent to the Award Committee Chair, named below. The announcement of an Award winner will be made on or about June 1. The Award will be made at an event sponsored by LHRT at the 2023 ALA Annual Conference.

John M. Budd, Chair

Distinguished Service in Library History Award Committee

buddj@missouri.edu