"Dr. Hallmark has left a lasting impact on the field of LIS and sci/tech education, not just through her methods and research, but through her service to her former students and colleagues who were encouraged and inspired by her."
Dr. Julie Hallmark, 1938 - 2020
Dr. Julie Hallmark née Bichteler was a librarian, chemist, and educator who was a trailblazer in the field of information communication and technology (ICT). She earned her B.S. in Chemistry in 1960, her M.L.S in 1965 and then her Ph.D. in Library and Information Science in 1973, all at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin. It was at UT where she taught for 12 years as an Associate Professor, then as an ICT Professor for 35 years, specializing in geosciences and meteorology.
After a brief but meaningful period working as a chemist at Dow Chemical Co. in Midland, Michigan, she returned to Texas to establish herself as a steadfast authority in the information sciences. She worked as a library intern at NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, and became a reference librarian at Southern Methodist University’s Southwest Center for Advanced Studies. In this position, Hallmark provided her expertise on approaches to sci/tech reference work and search techniques, a topic which she studied extensively throughout her life.
Hallmark’s passion for ICT is illustrated in her impressive bibliography. She has contributed many articles to several scholarly journals, including but not limited to the Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, the Journal of the American Society for Information Science, and Issues in Science and Technology Libraries. These works highlight, among many other topics, the advancement of scientific communication through historical anecdotes to inform modern information practices, as well as analyzing the channels through which scientific information and sources travel among colleagues in the field. This dedication to the study of the information life cycle through the lens of sci/tech is supported by her career as an information educator, which is made clear by further publications which are focused on providing effective and enduring methods for training information professionals on new automated systems.
Selected Bibliography of Dr. Julie Hallmark
● Hallmark, J. & Garcia, C. R. (1992). System migration: experiences from the field. Information Technology and Libraries, 11(4), 345-357.
● Hallmark, J. (1994). Scientists' access and retrieval on references cited in their recent journal articles. College & Research Libraries, 55(3), 199-209.
● Hallmark, J. & Garcia, C. R. (1996). Training for automated systems in libraries. Information Technology and Libraries, 15(3), 157-167.
● Hallmark, J. & Seidman, R.K (Eds.). (1998). Sci/Tech librarianship: education and training. Haworth Press: New York.
● Hallmark, J. (1998). Education for the successful geoscience information specialist. Science & Technology Libraries, 17(2), 81-91.
● Baldwin, V.A. & Hallmark, J. (2001). Information and the professional scientist and engineer (1st ed.). Routledge.
● Hallmark, J. (2001). Information-seeking behavior of academic meteorologists and the role of information specialists. Science and Technology Libraries, 21(1), 53-64.
A champion of LIS and sci/tech communication resources, Hallmark was a member of many professional organizations dedicated to advancement in those fields. She was a lifelong member of the Texas Library Association. In 1964 she joined the Special Libraries Association (SLA), where she later served on the Board of Directors as chairperson for the Texas chapter in the science-technology department. She served as the first chairperson for the American Society for Information Science’s Texas chapter (ASIS), and helped establish and sponsor UT’s first student chapter in 1975. She was even President of the Geoscience Information Society (GIS) for a term and was on the Board of Directors for the American Geological Institute, overseeing cataloging standards for geoscience guidebooks. In this position, Hallmark was instrumental in organizing international conferences on the subject, and lectured on LIS education in places such as Latin America and Asia among many other regions, and provided consultation for systematic approaches in ICT. Hallmark’s commitment to effective information communication broke international barriers, and she was frequently invited as guest lecturer and consultant to many foreign universities.
In recognition for her incredible contributions to LIS and ICT research, Hallmark has received the following accolades over her lifetime:
● National Science Foundation Undergraduate Fellowship, 1959
● Award for best dissertation in information science from the American Society for Information Science, 1973
● Best dissertation in accredited library schools from the Association for Library and Information Science Education, 1974
● Texas Excellence Teaching Award, 1986
● Best Paper Award from the Geoscience Information Society, 1986, 1989
● Mary B. Ansari Distinguished Service Award from the Geoscience Information Society, 2010
Dr. Hallmark has left a lasting impact on the field of LIS and sci/tech education, not just through her methods and research, but through her service to her former students and colleagues who were encouraged and inspired by her. She will be remembered by her peers as a trusted mentor and an estimable advocate for LIS education.
References:
Geoscience Information Society. (2025). Distinguished Service Award.
https://geoinfo.org/about/awards/distinguished-service/.
School of Information, UT Austin. (2003). Julie Hallmark.
https://pages.ischool.utexas.edu/hallmark/professionaljh.html.
The University of Texas at Austin. (2020, April 15). In Memoriam: Dr. Julie Hallmark (1938 -
2020). https://ischool.utexas.edu/news/memoriam-dr-julie-hallmark-1938-2020.
Tribute by Sarah Keizer
Graduate Student
School of Information Sciences
Wayne State University
26 March, 2026
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Brett Spencer
Reference Librarian
Thun Library, Penn State Berks
He/Him/His
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