Guthrie, Hallingby to Enter SLA Hall of Fame

Two longtime SLA members who have worked worked diligently and advocated passionately to further the interests of librarians and the information profession are being rewarded with induction into the SLA Hall of Fame.

Larry Guthrie, a law librarian in Washington, D.C., and Leigh Hallingby, a retired librarian in New York, will be honored June 19 during a general session of the SLA 2017 Annual Conference in Phoenix.

Induction into the SLA Hall of Fame recognizes service and contributions to the association and is reserved for SLA members in good standing who are at or near the end of their active professional career. Hall of Fame recognition also is granted for lengthy distinguished service to an SLA chapter or division that has contributed to the success of the association.

A librarian at Covington & Burling for the past 23 years, Larry has been a leading advocate for libraries and librarians throughout his career. He has written more than 45 articles for publications such as The New York Times and the Tulsa World as well as for SLA’s magazine, Information Outlook. He is the co-author of the 2003 book, Historical Aspects of Cataloging and Classification.

Over the course of his career, Larry has helped plan numerous educational sessions for the SLA Legal Division and the former Government Relations and Copyright Committees. He helped jump-start the Legal Division and was one of its early chairs; he has also chaired the Labor Issues Section of the SLA Social Science Division for several years. His longtime advocacy for the Librarian of Congress to be a degreed librarian paid off last year with the appointment of Carla Hayden to that position.

Leigh spent most of her 35-year library career with the Open Society Foundations and other organizations that help address social problems and advance social causes. Her dedication to change and improvement is reflected as well in her service to SLA, where she has long been active in the New York Chapter. She helped plan educational and social events for many years, then answered the call to be chapter president in 2010. During her tenure as president, the chapter contributed to Haiti Read and was recognized for its donations to that organization.

Since her retirement in 2014, Leigh has continued to attend New York Chapter social events and participate in panel presentations. One of her favorite chapter activities is leading walking tours of various New York neighborhoods. Just last month, she led chapter members on a two-hour walk through Harlem, exploring such highlights as the Apollo Theater, Astor Row, and the Mount Morris Park Historic District.

Leigh and Larry join nearly 150 other SLA members in the Hall of Fame, including John Cotton Dana, the founder of SLA.

2 responses to “Guthrie, Hallingby to Enter SLA Hall of Fame”

  1. Patrick Mandeville says:

    Please tell Larry congratulations from one of his old baseball buddies. Spillers is too crowded to play baseball on.
    What a great guy and I am sure very deserving of this induction.

  2. Gideon William says:

    Great article! Congratulations on your recognition.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

©2024 Special Libraries Association. All Rights Reserved
Special Libraries Association
X

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close