It is with sadness that we learned of the death on 21 November 2024 of our colleague, mentor, and friend Donald (Don) Gordon Davis, Jr. who was born on 15 August 1939 in San Marcos, Texas. He received his BA (Social Sciences-History) in 1961 from the University of California, Los Angeles, and his MA in History in 1963 and MLS in 1964, both from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1972, he earned a PhD from the Graduate School of Library Science (now School of Information Sciences), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 1996 Davis earned a Master's in Theological Studies from the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
As a student, Davis held part- and full-time positions in various libraries in California. In 1971, he joined the faculty of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (now School of Information) at the University of Texas at Austin, where he taught master's-level courses in professional foundations, book and library history, collection development, and publishing as well as a writing course in the School's doctoral program. Davis was the School's associate dean from 2000 to 2002, and he retired in 2005 as professor emeritus. He served as an advisor and doctoral dissertation coordinator for a series of students who are now tenured faculty members in schools of library and information science throughout the United States and overseas. Since his retirement, Davis continued to teach a freshman seminar, "Great Libraries in History," and to consult with students and other scholars at the University and beyond. He was also engaged in doing some local lay pastoring in the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA).
Between 1976 and 2004 Don Davis served as the editor of the scholarly journal Libraries & Culture (renamed Libraries & the Cultural Record; Information & Culture: A Journal of History, now Information & Culture), published quarterly by the University of Texas Press. He authored and coauthored numerous reference books and edited and coedited collected works, including the Encyclopedia of Library History (1994), he published over 125 book chapters, articles, and reports, as well as more than two hundred book reviews. Davis was a frequent conference participant, panel coordinator, consultant to publishers, libraries, and educational institutions, and member of editorial boards of various publications. Throughout his distinguished career, Davis was the recipient of notable awards and honors, among which Fellow of the Newberry Library (1974), Fellow of the American Institute of Indian Studies (1988), Golden Anniversary Distinguished Award, Beta Phi Mu (1999), and many more.
As a member of numerous professional associations, Don Davis passionately promoted library history issues (Texas Library Association, Texas State Historical Association, Texas Association of Scholars, Texas Group for the Study of Books and Print Culture, American Library Association, American Historical Association, Association of College and Research Libraries, American Printing History Association, Association for the Bibliography of History, Association for Library and Information Science Education, National Association of Scholars, Organization of American Historians, etc.).
At the international level, Don Davis was a twenty-year participant in the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), raising the global visibility of the history of librarianship. He held elected positions at IFLA, where he served as member and chair of executive committees of round tables and sections (Library History Round Table and Round Table of Editors of Library Journals). He advised students from eight different countries, and he consulted, guest-lectured, or taught in Canada, China, Estonia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Romania, Sweden, Thailand, and the U.K.
Don was the enthusiastic coordinator of five consecutive editions (1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, and 2000) of the Library History Seminar, co-sponsored by the Library History Round Table (LHRT), a prestigious event that brings together library historians from the United States and abroad. He edited or co-edited the published proceedings of these quinquennial library history seminars that always constituted special issues of Libraries & Culture. In addition, Don Davis was instrumental in establishing the Endowed Chair in the History of Library and the Information Professions at the School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
He served as the president of the Conference on Faith and History, Fellowship of Christian Librarians and Information Specialists, and as a board member of several faith-based organizations, such as the Hymn Society of the United States and Canada, Presbyterian Historical Society, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, Librarians' Christian Fellowship, Presbyterian Historical Society of the Southwest.
A festschrift in Don's honor, Libraries & Culture: Historical Essays Honoring the Legacy of Donald G. Davis, Jr., was published in 2005 as a special issue of Libraries & Culture and in 2006 as a monograph issued by the Library of Congress Center for the Book, highlighting his influence on and contribution to advancing library history research and study. In the introduction, aptly entitled Donald G. Davis, Jr.: A Gentleman and a Scholar, the editors' note that "as a respected scholar, beloved teacher, and magnanimous colleague, Don has inspired us all to work hard and to take joy in the work." The contributors state that all the students who worked with him found a thoughtful advocate who would guide their steps through a master's or doctoral degree and serve as role model in their careers as librarians or faculty members. The Festschrift concludes with an impressive chronology and bibliography listing Don's professional achievements and activities together with publications that he wrote or edited, alone or with others.
In 2000, the American Library Association's Library History Round Table honored Don with the establishment of the Donald G. Davis Article Award which recognizes the best article written in English in the field of United States and Canadian library history.
Don Davis' contributions to the library history field will continue to shape future generations. His legacy will live on through his scholarship, dedicated teaching, and inspiring mentorship. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.
–Tribute by Dr. Hermina G.B. Anghelescu, with consultation from Dr. Mark Tucker, December 2024.
The tribute can be found on LHRT News & Notes
------------------------------
Brett Spencer
Reference Librarian
Thun Library, Penn State Berks
------------------------------