Alan Ball Local History Awards

Since 1986, the Local Studies Group of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, acting on behalf of the Library Services Trust, has given annual awards to recognise outstanding contributions in local history publishing. There are currently three awards – for hard copy, digital and community publications. The Award is named after Alan Ball, the former Chief Librarian of the London Borough of Harrow, whose publications include a number of books on topographical prints, including Gloucester Illustrated, published by Halsgrove in 2001.

Because of the pandemic, the Awards had been suspended since 2019, but late last year CILIP decided to offer awards for new local history publications in both 2020 and 2021. The County Archivist, Heather Forbes, passed this information to the Gloucestershire Local History Association, which ‘cascaded’ it to its members, at least two of whom decided to submit applications for the Award.

We were delighted to learn in February that both the hard copy and digital awards for 2020 had been won by Gloucestershire groups. The Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society’s (www.bgas.org.uk) Record Series volume on Managing Poverty: Cheltenham Settlement Examinations and Removal Orders, 1831-52, edited by Dr John Simpson, has won the award for the best hard copy publication and the Stroudwater Navigation Archive Charity’s website (www.stroudwaterhistory.org.uk) has won the best digital publication award. So congratulations are due to all involved – and do take a look at the two organisations’ websites to find out more.

As the Award is an annual one, it is hoped that other Gloucestershire local history groups and societies might consider submitting their new publications for future awards. To find out more about the awards, take a look at: www.communityarchives.org.uk/content/news/2021/alan-ball-awards-for-local-history-publication-of-the-year  

Steven Blake, Chair, GLHA