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AWARDS: The LHRT Executive Committee met in Philadelphia and gave final approval for proposals creating the Donald G. Davis, Jr. and Eliza Atkins Gleason Awards. Mary Jo Lynch sent these proposals to the ALA Awards Committee, which is expected to approve them in New Orleans. The LHRT will then have four awards including the Dain Dissertation Award and Justin Winsor Prize. The Davis Award will recognize the best article written in English specific to American and Canadian library history and will operate on a two-year cycle. The Gleason Award will recognize the best book written in English, excluding bibliographies and multi-authored collections, in the field of library history. This award operates on a three-year cycle. The Dain and Winsor awards give the LHRT a good deal of recognition within Library and Information Science and print culture studies. The Davis and Gleason awards will enhance that recognition. Another successful event is the completion of the Winsor Prize endowment. The ALA requires a minimum of $10,000 in an endowment before the interest generated can support a monetary award. We reached the magic number just before Philadelphia. Up to this time, all the funds for the award came directly from our annual operating budget.

The LHRT Handbook for Officers is in the final stage of completion as of this writing and should be finished by the Annual Conference. This document will help future LHRT officers keep track of an increasingly complex organizational structure as well as the month-by month activities. Mark Tucker and Mary Jo Lynch have put a huge amount of effort into this project and I thank them for it.

Logo: Andrew Wertheimer has agreed to take on two long overdue projects, the creation of an LHRT logo and a brochure for publicity and membership drives. Judging from Andrew's recent contributions to the LHRT during the 50th Anniversary event, we should see excellent preliminary results at the next Executive Committee meeting.

Auction: We are planning a unique event for the Annual Conference. On Saturday June 26 LHRT will be holding an auction to raise funds for the yet to be named LHRT Endowed Lectureship. In 1995 at the Annual Conference in Chicago, Wayne Wiegand proposed an endowed lectureship funded in part with royalties from the sale of his book, Irrepressible Reformer: A Biography of Melvil Dewey. LHRT agreed to match Wayne's gift of up to $7500. Former LHRT Chair Jim Carmichael formed an ad hoc committee to develop an action plan. Our immediate past Chair, Louise Robbins, put much effort into this project and kept it on track. Now that the royalties are coming in, we need to complete this project. The auction that Michele Cloonan and Lee Shiflett have planned should be both profitable and fun. The material at the auction will include books, photographs, and ephemera in the areas of library history, bibliography, and the book arts. The auction will be held on Saturday, June 26, beginning 5pm at Crescent City Books, 204 Chartres in the French Quarter. Wine and snacks will be served. WE NEED DONATIONS FOR THE AUCTION! Send these to: Lee Shiflett (lsshif@lsuvm.sncc.lsu.edu) LSU, School of Library & Information Science, 267 Coates Hall, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. Lee's phone number is: (504) 388-3158. We are not far from reaching the ALA required $10,000 to complete the endowment, so let's all plan on attending. Please bring friends!

ALA Program: We have scheduled two programs for New Orleans: "Bringing Libraries to the People: Outreach to Groups," will be held on Saturday, June 26 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM and "Bringing Libraries to the People: Innovative Strategies," will be held on Monday, June 28 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. Co-sponsors include LRRT, SRRT, and OLOS. The moderator for the first program will be Kathleen de la Pena McCook, Director of the School of Library and Information Science at the University of South Florida, Tampa. Prior to this appointment she served as the Dean of the School of Library and Information Science at Louisiana State University and as the Dean of the Graduate School. McCook's service in ALA has included co-chairing the special presidential Project Century 21 Advisory Committee. She has chaired the ALA Office for Literacy and Outreach Services Advisory Committee, the ALA Poor People's Policy Subcommittee, the Office for Library Personnel Resources Advisory Committee, and the ALA Recruitment Task Force. She served on the board of directors of REFORMA and edited RQ for six years. She has written numerous books, research reports, and articles.

Carla J. Stoffle, Dean of Libraries at the University of Arizona and current chair of the ALA Office for Literacy and Outreach Services Advisory Committee will moderate the second program. Stoffle was the treasure of ALA from 1988 to 1992, president of ACRL, and a member of the executive board of ALA for seven years. She received the ACRL Librarian of the Year Award in 1992 and ACRL Bibliographic Instruction Librarian of the Year in 1991. She has written three books and over thirty articles and chapters. The two complementary programs feature the following:

I. Bringing Libraries to the People: Outreach to Groups (Saturday, June 26th, 2-4 p.m.)

Cheryl Knott Malone (UIUC), "Books for Black Children: Public Library Collections in Louisville and Nashville, 1915-1925."

Florence M. Jumonville (U. of New Orleans), "Books Along the Bayous: Reading Materials for Two Centuries of Rural Louisianians."

Larry E. Sullivan (John Jay College, CUNY), and Brenda Vogel (Maryland Correctional Education Libraries), "Reachin' Behind Bars: Library Outreach to Prisoners, 1798-1998."

Plummer Alston Jones (Catawba College), "The ALA Committee on Work with the Foreign Born (1918-1948) and the Movement to Americanize the Immigrant."

Lotsee F. Patterson (U. of Oklahoma), "Historical Overview of Tribal Libraries in the Lower Forty Eight States."

II. Bringing Libraries to the People: Innovative Strategies (Monday, June 28th, 2-4 p.m.)

Barry W. Seaver (U. of North Carolina), "The Use of a New Medium, Radio, to Promote the Municipal Reference Library of the City of New York and the Civic Education of Its Citizens, 1928-38."

Toni Samek (U. of Alberta, Edmonton), "Synergy, 1967-1973: A Pivotal Example in the Evolution of Outreach Library Service."

Gerald S. Greenberg (The Ohio State University), "On the Roof of the Library Nearest You: America's Open-Air Libraries, 1905-1944."

Alison Freese (New Mexico State Library), Mary Alice Tsosie (U. of New Mexico), and Jean Whitehorse (New Mexico State Library), "Bringing Libraries to Tribes in New Mexico: Current Programs."

Robert S. Freeman (Purdue University) and David M. Hovde (Purdue University), "The Harper Brothers Family and School District Library Programs."

Concluding remarks: Since this is my last opportunity to address the membership in my capacity as Chair, I'd like to thank you for letting me serve you for these past nine years as co-editor of the LHRT Newsletter (1990 to 1998),

Secretary/Treasurer, Chair-elect, and Chair. It has been both fun and challenging. Ed Goedeken, Mark Tucker, and Mary Jo Lynch deserve my special thanks for all their efforts in helping me along. Thanks also go to our executive board Sibyl Moses, Steve Sowards, Lee Shiflett, and Holly Willett for keeping all the LHRT projects moving toward completion. I also would like to thank all of the committee chairs and members and the liaisons for their work this year.

Our Newsletter and our web page are the principal means of communication both within LHRT and to others interested in the field outside the ALA. We are fortunate in having Ed Goedeken, Gerry Greenberg, and Joy Kingsolver who keep us informed about our organization and the field of library history and who send a most positive message about the work of LHRT. It takes a lot of dedicated people to keep a round table focused and running.

LHRT Executive Committee Meeting Minutes, Sunday, January 31, 1999
ALA Midwinter Conference, Philadelphia PA

1. Introductions and approval of previous minutes

The Chair, David Hovde, called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. in Salon K of the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel and distributed the agenda. Introductions followed. Present: Hermina Anghelescu, Sidney Berger, Michelle Cloonan, John Cole, Gary Colmenar, Don Davis, Julia Glynn, Gerry Greenberg, Elizabeth Hanson, Suzanne Hildenbrand, David Hovde, Christine Jenkins, Mary Jo Lynch, Mary Niles Maack, Sibyl Moses, Kenneth Potts, Lee Shiflett, Steven Sowards, Fred Stielow, Mark Tucker, Andrew Wertheimer, Wayne Wiegand, and Holly Willett. Guests: Lynn Westbrook (Second Library and Information Studies Research Seminar), and Sarah Ann Long (President-elect of ALA). Minutes of the meeting of 28 June 1998 were approved without changes.

2. Library Research Seminar II

Lynn Westbrook reported on plans for Library and Information Studies Research Seminar II, to be held in 2001. She was appointed by LRRT to lead this effort. The site has been determined and will be announced soon; the theme will be broad enough to cover work by both practitioners and researchers. There will be a keynote address, small group sessions and opportunities for informal conversation. LHRT was asked (as a founding sponsor of Library Research Seminar I) to continue its support by making a modest monetary contribution. Andrew Wertheimer asked whether the program would include historical papers. There will be a juried selection process: LHRT could propose a historical panel. Wayne Wiegand recalled that Carl Kaestle was a keynote speaker at LRS-I. To promote consideration of submissions with historical methodology, Mary Niles Maack volunteered to join the planning. Moved and carried that LHRT be a co-sponsor, the amount to be determined later.

3. Report on Round Table Coordinating Committee business

Sibyl Moses (chair-elect) and Steven Sowards (secretary-treasurer) reported on three significant items from the Round Table Coordinating Committee meeting on Friday, January 29: plans for thematic tracks at future ALA conferences, the right of Round Tables to speak on appropriate issues, and election of Round Table representatives to ALA Council.

Thematic tracks: Beginning with Summer 2001, ALA will organize conferences on the "track" system to reduce problems associated with size and sprawl. Related activities would take place in one hotel. Concerns were raised about accommodating Round Table interests: Mary Ghikas, Mary Ann Rupert and Robert Newlen said there would be no reduction in the number of program slots, so Round Tables would not be crowded off the program. If Round Table sessions did not fit selected tracks, they could be part of an Issues/Updates track. Themes will be selected 18 months in advance: because Round Table officers as they are currently elected have planned programs only 12 months in advance, procedures need to be adjusted.

Round Tables speak out: The role of Round Tables speaking out on issues was examined, specifically, whether a letter from SRRT spoke on behalf of ALA. The 1998-99 Roundtable Handbook states (p. 3) that "When a Round Table speaks out on an issue, it should include an explicit statement such as the following: 'This resolution was passed by the executive committee of the x Round Table and does not represent the position of the American Library Association.'" However, this clause conflicts with other ALA policies. Round Table representatives noted that their members often bring special expertise to bear: if all statements had to pass through ALA channels, many urgent issues would be over before anyone from ALA had a chance to speak.

Round Table representatives now sit on ALA Council: the dozen smaller Round Tables (including LHRT) share a seat with a three-year term. Right now, each group needs to nominate someone, whose name will appear on the ballots sent to members of all twelve small Round Tables. Whoever is elected should work with all these Round Tables toward a simpler election procedure for 2002. Ken Potts (as nominations committee chair) will ask Art Young, who is also a member of LRRT. We need to revise our Bylaws accordingly.

4. Guest: Sarah Ann Long

ALA's new President-Elect visited the meeting, to talk about her theme, "Libraries Build Communities." She addressed concerns that retiring librarians may throw away historically significant papers, and the special problem of preserving electronic resources. Don Davis noted that Deanna Marcum is working on a census of library source materials. Wayne Wiegand noted that Shirley Wiegand raised this issue in 1994 (in American Libraries, Jan. 1994, pp. 102-106 and in Library Records: A Retention and Confidentiality Guide); the blessing of ALA's President could revive interest. Sarah Ann Long suggested a "Museum of Libraries" to raise awareness. John Cole described LC's Center for the Book as a step in this direction. A liaison committee was established, consisting of Andrew Wertheimer, John Cole, Wayne Wiegand and Don Davis.

5. Budget Report

ALA Liaison Mary Jo Lynch distributed a summary of LHRT's current account and final figures for 1997-98, and a memo regarding the Justin Winsor Prize. When 1998-99 began, we had a balance forward of $18,212. However, much of this was encumbered commitments. The executive committee voted in June '98 to complete the $10,000 endowment supporting the Winsor Prize, and another $6,385 is earmarked for the lectureship endowment. The free balance was thus on the order of $1,827 (the figure varies as dues are received throughout the year).

Secretary-treasurer Steven Sowards described the budget as solvent, but the balance forward is reduced, so we need to spend wisely. Our annual income (from dues) matches our basic expenses for administrative support, the Winsor and Dain prizes, the Newsletter, and dues to the National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History and the Freedom to Read Foundation. This leaves little extra money, but three substantial expenditures have been discussed: $7,500 over three years to match donated royalties from Wayne Wiegand's Dewey biography (Irrepressible Reformer) and fund the lectureship endowment; support for Library History Seminar-X; and a subsidy to the University of Texas Press to publish a bound monograph observing LHRT's 50th Anniversary. Our challenge is to find additional income.

In June 1998, LHRT committed $1,000 in principle toward the Bicentennial Celebration of the Library of Congress; John Cole explained that LHRT contributions to LC could support both the Bicentennial and the associated LHS-X, and he graciously suggested that a smaller amount would be fine. Don Davis' motion to commit $250 passed.

Wayne Wiegand suggested that LHRT might match the Dewey book royalties by finding other donors: seeking "matching funds for the matching funds." LHRT will approach OCLC for $7,500, with an eye to naming the endowed lectureship for Fred Kilgore or Peter Paulson. Mark Tucker will ask Ed Holley to ask on our behalf.

Don Davis said that the University of Texas Press did not need a final answer until Fall 1999, so the executive committee could postpone a decision about the monograph until the June 1999 meeting. David Hovde said that LHRT remained committed in principle; in June we would know how much money was available.

Michelle Cloonan noted plans for the fundraising auction (see item 6 below).

Chair-elect Sibyl Moses suggested drawing up a summary of our standing commitments.

6. Fundraising

We are looking at two ideas to increase income: an auction, and a membership drive.

Lee Shiflett reported on the auction plans, to be held upstairs at Crescent City Books, 204 Chartres St. in New Orleans at the June 1999 ALA conference, during the 5-7 pm cocktail hour. Michelle Cloonan is handling donations, procedures, and publicity. Live auctions generate more excitement than a 'silent auction' and Sid Berger has conducted them before. Still to be arranged: shipping to New Orleans; donations of wine; donation of materials for auction. You may contact Michelle Cloonan at: Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, 2320 Moore Hall, Box 951521, UCLA, Los Angeles CA 90095.

A membership drive could increase income from dues. LHRT's current brochure was distributed; Andrew Wertheimer is preparing a new brochure to consider in June: send any ideas to him. We can highlight our membership discount on Libraries & Culture; a student membership rate might have appeal. If we have a recruiting booth at the conference, we have to staff it continuously: this can be difficult. Other ideas: advertisements or a guest column in American Libraries (an idea for Round Tables mentioned at the Round Table Coordinating Committee meeting).

7. Handbook

Mark Tucker reported that the revised Handbook for LHRT officers is still in process while he resolves inconsistencies between the old text and actual practice. The Research Committee especially needs to be redefined: at present its members perform no clear function. Mark proposed revising the make-up of committees to follow the pattern used by the Winsor Committee: "The LHRT Chair makes one appointment per year to the Dain, Winsor, Gleason, and Davis Committees, each of which is a committee of three people serving staggered three-year terms, with the senior member as chair each year; these committee chairs de facto constitute the Research Committee." Moved and carried. Because submissions for these prizes go to the current chair of each committee, it is critical that the chairs are publicized and easy to find. The LHRT Web page could name current chairs; when the Handbook is on the Web it will be easier to find instructions for submissions. Discussion followed on whether Mary Jo Lynch at the ALA office could accept and mail submissions for awards. A decision was tabled in her absence, having been called to another meeting. Mark Tucker will proceed with the rest of the Handbook; David Hovde will ask Mary Jo Lynch about this tabled question.

8. Davis and Gleason Awards

David Hovde passed out the proposals for the Donald G. Davis Article Award and the Eliza Atkins Gleason Book Award, as they will be submitted to ALA Awards Committee. The Davis Award recognizes the best article written in English in the field of U.S. and Canadian library history, to be awarded every second year. The Gleason Award recognizes the best book written in English in the field of library history, to be awarded every third year. The proposals will be revised slightly to reflect the successful motion concerning committees (above). At present no monetary prize is attached to either award; this can be added later. Moved and carried that David Hovde and Mary Jo Lynch submit the proposals.

9. Newsletter report

Gerry Greenberg reported that he became the new co-editor of the LHRT Newsletter (with Ed Goedeken) this past fall. Ed will continue to organize the draft text, and Gerry will handle pre-production to be forwarded to Mary Jo Lynch at ALA for publication. The deadline for the Spring '99 issue is late March, in order to publish before the summer meeting. Back issues will be transferred to a Web server at ALA. The convenience of having the text freely available outweighs the possibility that such Web access might undercut paid memberships.

10. Committee reports

Winsor Prize: Christine Jenkins reported for the Winsor Prize Committee. The deadline for submissions is February 1, 1999. There was no report from the Dain Prize Committee.

Library History Seminar: John Cole (LC Center for the Book) distributed a draft schedule for Library History Seminar-X, "National Libraries of the World," in Washington DC on 23-26 October 2000, in connection with the bicentennial celebration of the Library of Congress. The first two days will be devoted to the history of national libraries and other large institutions; the second two days, to current world issues. Commentators on papers will be drawn from the international contingent. Day 1 features a session on libraries during World War II; Day 2 has papers on the worldwide development of libraries. At Don Davis' suggestion, there will be reports on the status of the historical study of libraries in various countries. There are plans to publish select papers in Libraries & Culture. John Cole mentioned plans for a multi-volume history of libraries in America: please contact him with ideas.

Nominating: Ken Potts (chair of the nominating committee) reported on the Spring '99 LHRT ballot. For chair-elect: Cheryl Malone and Steven Sowards. For Secretary-treasurer: Holly Crawford and Holly Willett. For Member-at-large: Alston Plummer "Al" Jones, Jr. and Jean L. Preer. For Round Table representative to ALA Council: Art Young.

50th Anniversary: Andrew Wertheimer on LHRT's 50th Anniversary: "The program in Washington DC on 27 June 1998, chaired by Don Davis, was well-received and well-attended, with coverage in Library Journal, the LHRT Newsletter, and most recently in the LC Information Bulletin. The LC Center for the Book provided lovely refreshments. Our speakers kindly attended without honoraria. An ALA photographer took pictures which will be scanned onto the LHRT Web page. No recording was made of the program, but most of the papers will be run in a special issue of Libraries & Culture, which Don Davis and I are editing. I appreciate that the Executive Committee agreed to allocate funds to have these issues bound as a monograph under the imprint of LHRT and the GSWS of UT-Austin."

11. Liaison Reports

In the interest of time, liaison reports were submitted in writing to David Hovde.

12. New Orleans

David Hovde reported on our two programs planned for the ALA summer conference in New Orleans. The Research Program is "Bringing Libraries to the People," moderated by Dr. Kathleen de la Pena McCook. The second session reports on "Innovative Programs"; the moderator remains to be announced. LHRT seeks co-sponsors.

The meeting adjourned at 10:55.

Submitted by Steven Sowards

National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History (NCC) -- Submitted by Steven Sowards NCC, a Washington-based public interest group tracking library- and history-related federal government activities, followed these issues of interest to professional groups like ALA, AHA and OAH.

1. Copyright

Copyright legislation was a major concern for the 105th Congress.

a) The Copyright Term Extension Act, which blocked the passage of important early 20th century works into the public domain for another twenty years, has already been challenged in court.

b) As directed by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of October 1998, the Copyright Office will work to reconcile the law with online distance education activities.

c) The same Act included important concessions for libraries, dropping controversial language about databases, and affirming "fair use" rights.

Several bills have already been introduced for consideration by the new 106th Congress, addressing database issues from the perspective of commercial vendors and non-profit consumers.

2. Access to Electronic Publications

There is ongoing debate over how to store and distribute digital government information.

a) Appeals are ongoing in a successful lawsuit (in which ALA is a plaintiff) that blocked National Archives guidelines allowing federal agencies to destroy their electronic records after printing content to paper.

b) The Government Printing Office released its plan for managing digital materials for the depository library system.

3. Declassification

More federal documents were declassified in 1996 and 1997 than during the entire period 1980-1995. For example, joint decisions by the State Department, the CIA and the National Security Council make it possible to publish a dozen volumes of Foreign Relations of the United States which could not paint accurate pictures of U.S. policy without reference to secret materials. The Information Security Oversight Office is now working toward consistency and timely progress among affected agencies.

4. Budget Appropriations

FY99 funding for cultural agencies survived challenges in Congress.

a) The National Archives and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) will have significantly larger budgets.

b) Support for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will remain steady, despite harsh attacks.

c) Smaller increases go to the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian.

FY2000 budget planning has already begun, in the hands of the newly elected members of the 106th Congress.

Interested readers are encouraged to read NCC's Washington Updates in full on the Web at http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~ncc/.

American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) by Sibyl E. Moses

The Association for State and Local History (AASLH) held its 1998 annual meeting in Sacramento, California in September. During the 53rd AASLH annual awards program, two libraries were among the 1998 AASLH Award of Merit winners: (a) The Library of Congress, with the Architect of the Capitol, for the renovation and restoration of the Thomas Jefferson Building, and (b) the Library of Virginia, Richmond for its quarterly magazine, Virginia Cavalcade, illuminating Virginia's history and culture and based primarily on the Library's collections.

The 54th annual meeting is scheduled for September 29-October 2, 1999, at the Omni Inner Harbor Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland. The theme will be: "Caring for Our Treasures in the Millennium."

This year for the first time I have received a report of the number of visitors to the LHRT web site, and I am pleased to report that the site seems to be very popular. From November 20 through January 11 there were 2446 hits. Of the different pages on the LHRT site, the links to other sites, the bibliographies and the Statement on Library Education received the most hits. (The numbers indicate that the LHRT site was actually the most visited part of the Spertus Institute site.)

This fall was marked by serious equipment problems; my computer developed problems and I was without it for some time. This really slowed down everything I was working on for the web site. My computer is back in service as of this month. Our web service provider also had problems. There were several periods of down-time this fall, when none of the Spertus sites could be accessed. Because of this, Spertus changed its provider, and we are hoping that service will be more stable now. The change was seamless for web users, though; the address of the page is exactly the same as before.

All of the bibliographies through Fall 1998 have been formatted and posted to the site. The links have been updated, and I'm grateful to those LHRT members such as Charley Seavey and Larry Nix who sent in link suggestions. Because this was one of the most popular parts of the site, I'd like to expand this. Anyone who has a site that may be relevant is urged to send the URL to me. I will also post a call for links on the library history discussion list.

A few of the LHRT 50th anniversary photos have been posted to the web. There is some question of copyright with posting the photographers' prints, so I have limited use of those. The other pictures are by Andrew Wertheimer. I would like to add to this by posting some full text speeches, if the presenters are willing to share them with me. Occasionally, reference questions are sent to me through the site; most are specific enough that I can either answer or refer the person to another member of LHRT. Once in awhile a person will ask a question that is outside our scope or responsibility, but this is unusual.

To summarize, these are the plans I have for the future of the web site:

* expand the links to other resources. In particular, Calls for papers, if they are posted on the web.

* add full-text speeches if available

* I'd like to post some public-domain documents. Suggestions welcome.

* I'd also like to post some pictures of historic libraries.

* some older parts of the site need to be re-worked. This is time-consuming so I am doing a little at a time.

This concludes my report. I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to LHRT in this way, and I would like to invite all the members of the group to participate in the site by sending in suggestions.

The LHRT website is located at http://www.ala.org/lhrt/

Executive Board Meeting will be Sunday, June 27, 11:30-12:30

Sharp Conference

The seventh annual conference of the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing will take place July 15-18, 1999, in Madison, Wisconsin, under the auspices of the Center for the History of Print Culture in Modern America, a joint program of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Program Guide and Registration materials are available at: http://slisweb.lis.wisc.edu/printcul/sharp99.html

Proposals have been accepted on the topics of the creation, diffusion, and/or reception of the written or printed word in any historical period and in any region of the world. Keynote addresses will be delivered by Dr. Nicholas Kanellos, Director of Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project at the University of Houston, and Dr. Janice Radway of the Literature Department at Duke University.

For more information about the conference contact:

James P. Danky, Co-Director
Center for the History of Print Culture in Modern America
816 State Street
Madison, WI 53706-6598
USA
fax: (608)264-6520
email: james.danky@ccmail.adp.wisc.edu

Celebrating Library History with the California Library Association
by Cindy Mediavilla, Doctoral Student
UCLA Department of Library and Information Science

Recognizing that a profession is often measured by how its accomplishments are recorded through time, the California Library Association (CLA) established its first California Library History Committee in 1949. Its goals at the time were to: discover, preserve and make known primary and other documents in the field of California library history; encourage research and publication on California library history; and contribute program(s) to the CLA annual conference. (1) Arguing that California's library history had been woefully neglected because most librarians are interested in more "practical pursuits," committee chair Andrew Horn pointed to four very practical reasons for generating and collecting library history. "A librarian who has at hand," Horn contended, "a good history of his institution, relating the library's growth to the development of the community, finds it repeatedly useful in public relations." In addition, a library's history goes a long way toward explaining that institution's policies and procedures. "As an administrative device, a detailed library history can do for the whole procedural pattern what a job methods analysis does for a specific operation." Plus, Horn added, "The reading of library history and the joint understanding of library problems will contribute to wide interlibrary cooperation." Recording one's professional history also contributes to the continuing validation of that profession. For, as Horn noted, "One of the characteristics of a profession is its literature, and by its literature a large segment of the public will measure its importance... [A] field of study to which almost any librarian can contribute is library history." (2)

Reinventing itself in the early 1950s, the group re-emerged in 1954 as the Committee on California Library History, Bibliography, and Archives. With a new emphasis on preserving (via wire, tape and paper) the words and memories of prominent library leaders, the committee recorded the recollections of such luminaries as intellectual freedom advocate Helen Haines, UC Berkeley School of Librarianship dean Sydney Mitchell, Berkeley Public Library director Susan T. Smith, and early county library organizer Harriet G. Eddy, whose reminiscences were published by the committee as a book in 1955. (3) By the early 1970s, interest in the history of California's library community had once again begun to wane, prompting Peter Thomas Conmy, president of the newly renamed California Library History Chapter, to itemize the need for preserving the profession's heritage. First, he admonished, library history "is an invaluable aid in the solution of problems. Second, it gives perspective to professional knowledge. Third, it supplies appreciation of the struggles in the vicissitudes of the profession's organization and development." (4) While some librarians "postulate the belief that every ounce of possible energy should be devoted to a solution of present conflicts," Conmy noted that history nonetheless "plays an important part in current decisions both in the library world and elsewhere." (5)

A new CLA Library History Round Table was established last year in the spirit of its predecessors. Its stated purpose is to generate interest in and appreciation of the roles Californians have played in the development of the American library as a civic, cultural, and educational institution, as well as in the establishment of librarianship and information science as recognized professions. The Round Table also provides a forum for examining the historical context of broader influences--such as publishing, technology, and communications--on the development of libraries, librarianship and information science in California. In its brief existence, CLA's LHRT has already sponsored several successful programs as part of the annual statewide conference, including "Pioneering the Profession: Women Librarians at the Los Angeles Public Library," featuring research on Mary Emily Foy, Tesso Kelso, and Mary Jones; (6) "Bookwomen: Writing Feminist Biography," on early library leader Mary Wright Plummer, book collector Alice Millard, and former California State Librarian Carma Leigh; and "Forty Years of Library Education at UCLA: Recollections and Reflections," featuring reminiscences by former dean Robert Hayes and professor emeritus Diana Thomas.

This November, the Round Table will present two programs: "Celebrating 90 Years of California County Libraries," a panel discussion with four county librarians whose careers span five decades; and "Preserving Your Library's History: Problems and Prospects," a practical session on how to preserve institutional records. In addition, CLA LHRT will co-sponsor a program on the history of Carnegie libraries in Wales.

For more information on the CLA Library History Round Table and/or its upcoming events, please contact Cindy Mediavilla at cmediavi@ucla.edu or 310/915-8588.

References

1. Wood, R. F. (1955, July). Historians of librarianship at work. California Librarian, 16, p. 224.

2. Horn, A. (1949, March). Library history, an unexplored field of research. California Library Bulletin, 10, pp. 95-96.

3. Eddy, H.G. (1955). County free library organizing in California 1909-1918: Personal recollections of Harriet G. Eddy. Berkeley: California Library Association Committee of California Library History, Bibliography, and Archives.

4. Conmy, P.T. (1972, October). Why history? California Librarian, 33, p. 207-208.

5. Ibid., pp. 204-205.

6. Hansen, D. & Gracy, K. & Irvin, S. (in press). At the pleasure of the board: women librarians and the Los Angeles Public Library, 1880-1905. Libraries and Culture, 34.

Editors:

03/2003
jkingsolver@earthlink.net