Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award

About the Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award To recognize an individual who has made a distinguished contribution to reference librarianship. This contribution may include an imaginative and constructive program in a particular library; authorship of a significant book or articles in the reference field; creative and inspirational teaching; active participation in professional associations devoted to reference services; or leadership in other noteworthy professional activities.

During her career, which started in 1903 and concluded in 1941, Isadore Gilbert Mudge increased student independence in research and improved reference collections with several specific types of sources, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and atlases, among others. A pioneer in reference librarianship, she coined the phrase “material, mind, and method” to describe her reference philosophy when she began teaching the class “Bibliography and Bibliographic Methods” as an associate professor at Columbia's School of Library Services. She edited the American Library Association’s Guide to Reference Books, a comprehensive bibliography of reference tools. To honor her career, the American Library Association created the Isadore Gilbert Mudge Citation in 1958 for librarians who make distinguished contributions to reference librarianship.