Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries Awards Biodiversity Heritage Library

The Biodiversity Heritage Library received the Charles Robert Long Award of Extraordinary Merit from the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries (CBHL) on May 9. It is the highest honor bestowed by CBHL and was founded to honor outstanding contribution and meritorious service to the CBHL or in the field of botanical and horticultural libraries or literature.

The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) received two nominations for the award, which highlighted BHL’s global collaboration among libraries, innovative outreach and exceptional bibliographic and technology standards. 2012 marks the first time an organization has won the Charles Robert Long Award; since 1988, only 14 people have received it.

“The Biodiversity Heritage Library envisions collaboration among botanical libraries on a scale not attempted previously,” states the award letter. “It fosters research across borders and disciplines and has made itself indispensable in many areas of the globe where botanical and biological libraries are unavailable to scholars. In an era that is increasingly focused on biodiversity, it has become an indispensable resource for many scholars, scientists and students.”

The award was announced during the CBHL Annual Business Meeting in East Lansing, Mich. in May.  Representatives from the Smithsonian Libraries, Harvard Herbarium Botany Libraries and the New York Botanical Garden accepted the award on behalf of BHL. As part of the honor, the Biodiversity Heritage Library received a certificate and lifelong institutional membership to CBHL.

“We hope this [award] will encourage awareness of and further cross-collaboration between natural history libraries and CBHL,” said Laurie Hannah, Chair of the CBHL Long Award Committee.

About the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries:
The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries, Inc. is an international organization of individuals, organizations and institutions concerned with the development, maintenance and use of libraries of botanical and horticultural literature. The purpose of CBHL is to initiate and improve communication and coordinate activities and programs of mutual interest and benefit to its membership.

About the Biodiversity Heritage Library:
BHL partners comprise 15 natural history libraries in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. They are committed to working collaboratively to make biodiversity literature openly
available to the world as part of a global biodiversity community. The BHL Secretariat is hosted by Smithsonian Libraries. The Technical Director and portal development team are hosted by Missouri Botanical Garden. Affiliated BHL projects have been established in Europe, China, Australia, Brazil, and Africa. To further explore the BHL, visit http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/.