We are saddened that Dr. Donald G. Davis, Professor Emeritus at the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin, has passed away. Dr. Davis was an esteemed faculty member at the iSchool for thirty-four years and a leading expert in library history.
Dr. Davis joined the iSchool (formerly the Graduate School of Library Science) in 1971 and became editor of the Libraries & Culture journal (now Information & Culture) in 1977, a position he held until his retirement in 2005. His research interests included the history of books and libraries, history of education for librarianship and information science, bibliography, and collection development, and he developed and taught numerous courses on those subjects. Over the course of his career, Dr. Davis advised over 800 master’s students and 25 doctoral students, including supervising several doctoral dissertations: Philip Allen Metzger, "Publishing and the Book Trade in Austin, Texas, 1870-1920," 1984; Virginia Massey Bowden, "Current Monograph Collections: Patterns of Ownership and Use in Four Academic Health Sciences Libraries," 1994; Cheryl Knott Malone, "Accommodating Access: 'Colored' Carnegie Libraries, 1905-1925," 1996; Durk Hyun Chang, "Knowledge, Culture, and Identity: American Influence on the Development of Library and Information Science in South Korea since 1945," 2000; Hermina G. B. Anghelescu, "Public Libraries in Modern Romania: A Legacy of French Patterns and Soviet Influence, 1830-1990," 2000; and Jon Arvid Aho, "Using References in the Work of Eusebius of Caesarea (ca. 260-339) to Understand the Collection of the Library of Caesarea," 2002. Dr. Davis also held the position of Associate Dean of the iSchool from 2000-2002.
Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Davis was recognized with the Beta Phi Mu Golden Anniversary Distinguished Award in 1999 and in 2000 the American Library Association (ALA) Library History Round Table established the Donald G. Davis Article Award, which recognizes the best article written in English in the field of United States and Canadian library history, in his honor. He authored and co-authored numerous books, notably the Encyclopedia of Library History (1994) and the Dictionary of American Library Biography, Second Supplement (2003) as well as hundreds of articles and reviews. In 2005, a special issue of the journal he spent decades serving as editor was published in his honor: Libraries & Culture: Historical Essays Honoring the Legacy of Donald G. Davis, Jr. He was an active participant in numerous national and international professional and historical associations, including the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) for over twenty years.
Prior to joining the iSchool, Dr. Davis worked in libraries at the University of California, Berkeley, and Fresno State College in various positions, including serving as the head of special collections and an instructor of library resources. He earned his doctorate degree in Library Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, master’s degrees in history and library science from the University of California, Berkeley, and holds a bachelor's degree in history from the University of California, Los Angeles as well as a master’s from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
An inspiring mentor and instructor, Dr. Davis will be remembered by former students, alumni, and colleagues around the world for his kindness, generosity, and incredible passion for the field of library history and scholarship. He was a thoughtful and influential leader, educator, and friend who enriched the lives of many people. He will be dearly missed.