The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries: Some History and Philosophy

Compiled by Richard T. Isaacson and Geraldine C. Kaye,
July 1987

The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries (CBHL) was formed to initiate and improve communication between persons and institutions concerned with libraries of botanical and horticultural literature. Membership of CBHL is not limited to librarians but is open to interested persons from the horticultural and botanical professions and others. The group is proud to have librarians, book collectors, book dealers, print dealers, botanists and historians among its members.

The origin of CBHL can be traced to a meeting in Boston, Massachusetts in November 1969, when the Massachusetts Horticultural Society issued invitations to a "first conference of horticultural and botanical libraries." Forty delegates representing more than 20 institutions from the eastern part of the United States attended.

The four invited speakers, John F. Reed, Curator of the New York Botanical Garden Library; Dr. George H. M. Lawrence, Director of the Hunt Botanical Library; Dr. Gordon P. DeWolf, Jr., Horticultural Taxonomist of the Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University; and Mr. Gordon W. Dillon, Executive Secretary of the American Orchid Society, reportedly "set the tone of the Conference as a highly professional one and emphasized the research resources of libraries and their roles as repositories of valuable historic and archival material."

In John Reed's talk, entitled "Problems of Horticultural and Botanical Libraries" (later published in Arnoldia, January 1970), he stated "The collections in these libraries are, in truth, national resources. It is important that we who are concerned with these libraries recognize that our responsibilities exceed the bounds of our individual institutions. The greatest problem facing any group of libraries today, be they related geographically or by their subject specialization, is their willingness to investigate, identify, and implement programs that lead to standardization, cooperation, and shared utilization of their resources and activities." His recommendations included coordinated approaches to preservation of books in general and of ephemera such as seed catalogs in particular; collection development; new catalog records and retrospective cataloging; literature exchanges; and interlibrary loan functions. He also urged increased production and use of microforms and the development of union lists of periodicals held. The organization that grew from this first meeting has tried to maintain this cooperative focus. Many of the joint projects envisioned in Mr. Reed's prophetic speech have since come about.

The group considering these weighty matters was far from dull. The first Secretary, Marjorie Dickinson, has stated, "At this first meeting it quickly became evident that in spite of the differences in size, organization, and personality of the various libraries represented, we librarians shared many of the same problems and could find some answers by coming together. It was also a marvelously congenial group from the very beginning."

CBHL has grown to a 1987 membership of about 140 personal members and 61 institutional members, representing most states of the United States and 11 other countries, from Australia to the U.S.S.R. Some of the major long-time members are The New York Botanical Garden, Massachusetts Horticultural Society, USDA's National Agricultural Library, Harvard University, British Museum (Natural History), the Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew, Edinburgh, and Hamilton (Ontario), Hunt Institute, and Missouri Botanical Gardens.

The Annual Meetings and other communications have made valuable contributions to the members of the organization. The meetings hae retained the informal, helpful spirit of the early years. At the same time, members have learned much about botanical and horticultural literature, have acquired new library applications and procedures to use in their own institutions, and have visited and learned about many varied botanical/horticultural institutions and their libraries. One of the most valued assets has been the network of professional contacts built up through the interactions of this organization. CBHL has brought many specialized libraries and their librarians scattered over the broad expanse of the North American continent into close contact. It has allowed them to cooperate and focus on mutual concerns and projects. For many botanical and horticultural librarians it has become a trusted vital resource.

CBHL has grown to a 1987 membership of about 140 personal members and 61 institutional members, representing most states of the United States and 11 other countries, from Australia to the U.S.S.R. Some of the major long-time members are The New York Botanical Garden, Massachusetts Horticultural Society, USDA's National Agricultural Library, Harvard University, British Museum (Natural History), the Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew, Edinburgh, and Hamilton (Ontario), Hunt Institute, and Missouri Botanical Gardens.

The Annual Meetings and other communications have made valuable contributions to the members of the organization. The meetings have retained the informal, helpful spirit of the early years. At the same time, members have learned much about botanical and horticultural literature, have acquired new library applications and procedures to use in their own institutions, and have visited and learned about many varied botanical/horticultural institutions and their libraries. One of the most valued assets has been the network of professional contacts built up through the interactions of this organization. CBHL has brought many specialized libraries and their librarians scattered over the broad expanse of the North American continent into close contact. It has allowed them to cooperate and focus on mutual concerns and projects. For many botanical and horticultural librarians it has become a trusted vital resource.

Ten years later - a postscript

Added by C. Tancin, January 1998

Ten years after the Kaye and Isaacson assessment, CBHL has continued to fulfill its stated intentions, but also has grown in diversity and in collective technological expertise, among other ways. We now have members not only in the U.S. and Canada, but also in Australia, England, Finland, France, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden and Switzerland. In addition to librarians and archivists, our membership includes booksellers and publishers, private collectors and others concerned with botanical and horticultural libraries and information resources. We hope that our organization will continue to thrive and to provide the kinds of cooperation, collaboration and mutual benefits to its members that have characterized CBHL to date.