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Archiving its past
Organizational Records for 1969-1994
Archives of CBHL are currently kept at the LuEsther T. Mertz Library of the
New York Botanical Garden.
Information should be directed to:
Susan Fraser
The New York Botanical Garden
LuEsther T. Mertz Library
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See: Updated version 2009
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The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries
Records, 1969-1994 (TITLE)
SIZE: 10.4 Linear Feet (11 boxes)
ACCESS: Unrestricted
SOURCE: Transfer
History notes
The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries (CBHL) was formed to
initiate and facilitate communication between persons and institutions concerned with libraries
of botanical and horticultural literature.
Its origins can be traced to a conference held in Boston
convened by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society on November 13, 1969. This first conference,
attended by forty delegates representing more than 20 institutions from the eastern United States,
was in response to the felt need to bring together institutions and individuals concerned with the
development and maintenance of these libraries in an organized, though loosely structured, forum.
The goal was to create a society to share information, discuss problems of mutual concern,
and collectively work toward solving problems each faced individually and often ineffectively.
The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries was formally organized at the Second Conference of
Botanical and Horticultural Librarians held at the Hunt Botanical Library in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
April 24-25, 1970. It was decided that the governing body would be a secretariat of three.
This form of management continues today with only a few changes. The secretariat has become a board of
directors with four members serving staggered
four year terms, and positions of secretary and
treasurer were added. All serve without financial remuneration. An Annual Meeting is held at
the site of one of the institutional members and usually lasts two and one half days. It
includes a business meeting and a varied program of subjects addressing common interests.
At an institutional level, CBHL offers consultation, workshops, and other training programs for
members of library staffs; organize and develop cooperative programs such as coordinated
acquisitions, shared or centralized cataloguing, and the development of union lists/catalogies.
Individual members within the botanical-horticultural library field have the oppurtunity to
actively participate in the collective efforts of the organization. CBHL also publishes a
Newsletter through which members are advised of significant events in other institutions. Lists
of duplicate titles offered for sale from the collections of members libraries are regularly
circulated.
CBHL brings together many specialized libraries and their librarians from the North American
and international community. Membership in the Council of Botanical and Horticultural Libraries
is open to botanical and horticultural libraries of both public and private institutions.
Individual membership is available to librarians, interested persons from the horticulture
and botany professions, and others who share this interest.
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Provenance
The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries Records, 1969-1994, were
transferred to the New York Botanical Garden Archives as its official archival repository. These
records were transferred in several intervals, from 1970 to 1994.
Scope and contents note
The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries Records document the
organizational history and activities of this professional association dedicated to the
field of botanical and horticultural literature and libraries. These records encompass a
twenty five year period from the First Conference of Botanical and Horticultural Librarians,
and the Study Group that it commissioned, in 1969 through its program year of 1994. The contents
of these records are indicative of the continuing and evolving scope of professional interests
addressed by CBHL, as well as its steady international growth. The Council on Botanical and
Horticultural Libraries Records are divided into seven series. Bulk dates for these records are
1969-1994.
Organizational records - List of series
SERIES 1, ADMINISTRATION
SERIES 2, ANNUAL MEETINGS
SERIES 3, MEMBERSHIP LISTS AND DIRECTORIES
SERIES 4, BIBLIOGRAPHIES AND CATALOGUES
SERIES 5, CORRESPONDANCE
SERIES 6, CBHL NEWSLETTER
SERIES 7, EPHEMERA
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Series description
- ADMINISTRATION. 1.5 LF.
Arranged by office, then chronologically.
This series describes the development of the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries
from the recommendations of the Study Committee, through the establishing of a Board of
Directors, Executive Council, and Officers of Treasurer and Secretary. It includes the
1969 Secretary's Report, working drafts of the CBHL history; philosophy and purpose; report
and recommendations of the Study Committee; Constitution, Bylaws, and Articles of
Incorporation; first listing of members from 1969-1972; 7 inch reels of audiotape recording
proceedings of the Annual Meetings, and color slides documenting the first 25 years. The
Treasurer's records contain bank statements, financial reports of income and expenditures,
requests for printing and their related costs, and correspondence with both vendors and CBHL
members.
- ANNUAL MEETING. 2.0 LF.
Arranged chronologically.
This series documents all CBHL Annual Meetings from 1969-1994. It includes correspondence, agenda and
minutes of the business meetings, agendas for the general sessions, committee reports, program
materials and presentations, and participant packets. Participant packets contain maps, detailed
information about accomodations and places of interest in the host city, descriptive and
bibliographic materials from the host institution, as well as current membership lists and
catalogues of available publications. Occasional texts of speeches and presentations, with
accompanying illustrations, are also included.
- MEMBERSHIP LISTS AND DIRECTORIES. 1.5 LF.
Alphabetical lists arranged chronologically.
This series contains both working and final lists of institutional and individual members,
occassionally with annotations, from 1971-1993. It documents both the vitality and fluidity of
an important professional voluntary association. The series also includes membership brochures
and application forms that show an increasing awareness and sophistication in recruitment and
retention.
- BIBLIOGRAPHIES AND CATALOGUES. 1.5 LF.
Arranged chronologically and alphabetically.
This series includes seed catalogue locators and samples of nursery and seed catalogues, an
ongoing CBHL project. It also includes special topical bibliographies (e.g. Cooking With
Vegetables, Flowers, and Fruits) published by CBHL, duplicates lists of books and serials,
and itemizations of related mailings from 1976-1994.
- CORRESPONDANCE. 1.0 LF
Arranged chronologically, then alphabetically.
This series contains correspondance of a more general nature; for example bibliographic inquiries, or
letters seeking career advice. There is some overlapping with series 1 and 2, in that issues
related to membership, dues, mailings, and plans for forthcoming annual meetings are raised.
Correspondence in this series is for the period 1969-1994.
- CBHL NEWSLETTER.
Arranged chronologically and topically.
This series includes correspondence related to the Newsletter from 1980-1994. Letter content
principally revolves around missing or back issues, substantive comment, and proposed ideas
for subsequent issues. This series also includes texts-in-progress, research for future
newsletter articles, and gallery proofs. The strenngth of this series is its holding of
a complete set of the CBHL Newsletter from 1972-1994 (Numbers 1-59).
- EPHEMERA. 1.75 LF.
Arranged by size.
This series includes copy boards, edited typescript, and illustrations for CBHL Bibliography No. 7,
Cooking With Vegetables, Flowers and Fruits.
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History of the Council on Botanical and Horticultural
Libraries
Chronology (Cole & Inouye, 1999 & addendum)
The Charles Robert Long Award
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CBHL Homepage
