Library History Research in America: Essays Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Library History Round Table

Citation

Young, A.P. (2002), "Library History Research in America: Essays Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Library History Round Table", Library Review, Vol. 51 No. 6, pp. 320-321. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.2002.51.6.320.14

The 50th anniversary of the American Library Association’s Library History Round Table (LHRT) served as the catalyst for presentations at the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress in June, 1998. John Y. Cole, director of the Center for the Book and longtime supporter of library history projects, deserves a special accolade for hosting the conference and facilitating publication of these papers. Several of the invited papers quite naturally revolve around the LHRT founding, but most of the others are examinations of key questions that have received comparatively little scholarly attention. Strong contributions focusing on librarianship are made by Suzanne Hildebrand, “Library feminism and library women’s history: activism and scholarship, equity, and culture”; Mary Niles Maack, “International dimensions of library history: leadership and scholarship, 1978‐1998”; Cheryl Knott Malone, “Toward a multi‐culture American public library history”; James V. Carmichael, Jr, “‘They sure got to prove it on me’: millennial thoughts on gay archives, gay biography, and gay library history”; and Christine A. Jenkins, “The history of youth services librarianship: a review of the research literature”. Important pieces from outside of librarianship include Richard J. Cox, “The failure or future of American archival history: a somewhat orthodox view”; and D.W. Krummel, “History bibliography and library history”.

All of the essays are solid, but three deserve special commendation. Hildebrand writes movingly about women and the library profession, citing the many slights, stereotypical perceptions, and the failure to incorporate women into the established historical literature. Her conclusion that women will still be the subject of “equity‐oriented” approaches to historical writing will probably prevail, at least for the short term. Carmichael’s sensitive observations on gay contributions to librarianship and the difficulties of documenting the gay experience are evocative; Jenkins’ examination of youth services librarianship is a major piece, covering historical research, specialized collections, and various programs/services. Her ten pages of notes will be invaluable to future researchers. Three serviceable essays focus on the LHRT and the state of library history research: Edward A. Goedeken’s “The library historian’s field of dreams: a profile of the first nine seminars”; Jon Arvid Aho and Donald G. Davis, Jr, “Advancing the scholarship of library history: the role of the Journal of Library History and Libraries & Culture”; and John Mark Tucker, “Clio’s workshop: resources for historical study in American librarianship”.

The centerpiece essay in this volume is Wayne A. Wiegand, “American library history literature, 1947‐1997: theoretical perspectives?”. Wiegand, University Wisconsin‐Madison, is the library profession’s most prolific, insightful, and contagiously enthusiastic historian. He takes the reader on a helicopter ride over the complex terrain of library history and its historiography. He notes the successful works and lacunae for the various types of libraries, as well as for the profession itself. Wiegand has made several enduring contributions to the history of librarianship. He is a superb archival‐based historian, and he proselytizes for the broader concept of print culture. Print culture as a construct brings the relevant components to bear on the study of library history in a much more interconnected manner. Such components may encompass libraries, text users, and channels of distribution. Wiegand urges that librarians use theoretical ideas to examine the “social construction of reality and the process of culture consumption.” He goes on to note that as we enter the twenty‐first century, the library profession needs to focus on understanding “not just the user in the life of the library, but also the library in the life of the user.” And that can only be achieved by assimilating key theoretical perspectives from other disciplines and incorporating these into the study of library history. Wiegand is that rare individual who both exemplifies the best in scholarly research and can stimulate his colleagues to elevate aspirations and to reach the next level of scholarly excellence.

This volume should stand up as a welcome resource guide for future library historians rather than a coherent statement of the entire field. The very celebration of 50 years of organized attention to library history by the American Library Association is, by itself, a reason to rejoice and to remain hopeful about the future.