The Biodiversity Heritage Library Receives the CBHL Long Award of Extraordinary Merit
The Biodiversity Heritage Library is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of the Charles Robert Long Award of Extraordinary Merit from the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries (CBHL).
The highest honor bestowed by CBHL, the Charles Robert Long Award for Extraordinary Merit was founded to honor outstanding contribution and meritorious service to CBHL or to the field of botanical and horticultural libraries or literature. Since 1988, only 14 people have received this award.
Receiving two separate nominations highlighting BHL’s global collaboration among libraries, innovative outreach, and exceptional bibliographic and technology standards, this year marks the first time an organization has won the award.
As the award letter articulates, “BHL envisions collaboration among botanical libraries on a scale not attempted previously. It fosters research across borders and disciplines and has made itself indispensible 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 indispensible resource for many scholars, scientists and students.”
The award was announced during the CBHL Annual Business Meeting in East Lansing, MI, on May 9. 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, BHL 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. (CBHL) 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.
Grace Costantino served as the Outreach and Communication Manager for the Biodiversity Heritage Library from 2014 to 2021. In this capacity, she developed and managed BHL's communication strategy, oversaw social media initiatives, and engaged with the public to excite audiences about the wealth of biodiversity heritage available in BHL. Prior to her role as Outreach and Communication Manager, Grace served as the Digital Collections Librarian for Smithsonian Libraries and as the Program Manager for BHL.
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