Exciting news: an absolutely fantastic oral history project by Ruth Tillman at Penn State Libraries explores the rise of one of the early computerized catalog systems:
It includes audio interviews with transcripts and a timeline, reflecting several years of research!
This is not only invaluable as a history of computing in libraries, but also an example of how to do oral history in libraries.
“The ‘Voices of the Colored Libraries: An Interactive Journey through History’ project represents a
critical effort to preserve, document, and share the untold histories of racially segregated “colored”
Libraries that served African American communities during the Jim Crow era.”
Voices of Colored Libraries in Segregated America
Browse through this cool gallery of bookmobiles!: https://behindeveryday.com/bookmobiles/
And, as a bonus, if you are interested in bookmobiles and their history, Derek Attig’s site Bookmobility, which covers “information in motion,” is a must see!
This trove likely offers a lot of interest to library historians:
The American Library Association’s (ALA) Library History Roundtable (LHRT) Justin Winsor Award Committee is pleased to announce the winner of this year’s essay award. The recipient of this year’s award is Alex Poole for his essay “‘The Michael Jordan of library systems’: Carla D. Hayden and the Black Liberal Tradition.”
Poole is an Associate Professor at Drexel University’s School of Computer and Information Sciences. His research interests include history, archives and records management, information practices and behaviors, digital curation, and digital humanities. His work has appeared in The Library Quarterly, The Journal of Documentation, The American Archivist, and Digital Humanities Quarterly.
Poole’s essay serves as the first scholarly treatment of Carla Hayden, and it situates Hayden’s work in the larger context of the long Black freedom struggle. By relying on a wide range of primary source materials, the author traces her career from the Chicago Public Library and Enoch Pratt Free Library to the office of Librarian of Congress. The essay highlights her role as Black woman librarian in the post-direct action phase of the Black freedom struggle, focusing on politics of respectability. The award’s committee commends the essay’s careful attention to the life and work of an important and contemporary figure in library history.
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.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
The American Library Association (ALA) is the only non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated entirely to America’s libraries and library professionals. For almost 150 years, ALA has provided resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. The ALA serves academic, public, school, government, and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit www.ala.org.
“Books retain the exact original arrangement desired by Eco.”
“Take a tour across the country through its vast and venerable centres of knowledge, each showcasing its own unique architectural splendour.”
Is it history or is it hoarding?
A great podcast which explores the history of the collections held by one of Australia’s oldest libraries. Journalist Annabel Crabb asks us to consider if these collections are history or hoarding in a multi-episode deep dive into the story of the State Library of New South Wales and its collections. History Or Hoarding? With Annabel Crabb
A glimpse into a 1950s library
Step back in time and have a look at this wonderful film from Libraries Tasmania about library services in Tasmania (Australia) in the 1950s. It includes a glimpse at the Archives, Children’s Library Bookmobile, book repairs, book processing, microfilm, librarian training, school libraries and more about all the library had to offer. Enjoy! For All Who Read.