91´«Ã½

CHICAGO - The Library History Round Table is pleased to announce the winner of the 2011 Justin Winsor Prize. The award, $100 and a certificate, is presented annually to the author of an outstanding essay embodying original historical research on a significant subject of library history. The author also is invited to publish the essay in Libraries & Culture, a journal of library history published by University of Texas Press. The award is named in honor of the distinguished 19th century librarian, historian and bibliographer who was also 91´«Ã½'s first president.

This year’s recipient is Cody White for his essay “Rising from the Ashes: Lessons Learned from the Impact of Proposition 13 on Public Libraries in California.” White’s work is especially timely considering the fiscal challenges the public libraries face today. His article examines how Proposition 13 was successfully marketed to voters in California and observes how libraries coped with resulting cuts in personnel, hours and services. The award committee found that it is “coherent, well constructed … and offers useful conclusions.”

The Library History Round Table of the 91´«Ã½ exists to facilitate communication among scholars and students of library history, to support research in library history, and to be active in issues, such as preservation, that concern library historians. The Round Table sponsors conferences, publishes a newsletter, and presents prizes such as the Justin Winsor Award to promote excellence in library history research.