2025 Recipient

Robert H. Davis

Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies Librarian at Columbia University and Slavic & East European Studies Librarian at Cornell University

The ASEEES Committee on Libraries and Information Resources Distinguished Service Award, which was established in 2010, honors ASEEES member librarians, archivists, or curators whose contributions to the field of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies librarianship have been especially noteworthy or influential. The effect of these contributions may be the result of continuous or distinguished service to the profession, but may also be the result of extraordinarily active, innovative, or collaborative work that deserves national recognition.  

Honoree: Robert H. Davis, Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies Librarian at Columbia University and Slavic & East European Studies Librarian at Cornell University 

The Committee on Libraries and Information Resources is honored to grant this year’s Distinguished Service Award to Robert H. Davis. It is difficult to begin describing the impact that Davis has had on this field, or to even estimate the number of people whose research he has strengthened and enhanced. From 1987 to 2008, Davis served in various roles at the New York Public Library’s Slavic and Baltic Division, and from 2008 until his retirement this year, he served as the Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies Librarian at Columbia University as well as the Slavic & East European Studies Librarian at Cornell University. His mark on all those institutions and on our field has been profound.   

As a librarian and curator, Davis has not only expanded the horizons of the collections he oversaw both linguistically and geographically, but he has also worked tirelessly to activate those collections and introduce them to researchers through checklists, exhibitions, and presentations. His incredible scholarly record boasts 7 NEH Summer Institutes, dozens of exhibitions, and numerous publications and conference presentations, including foundational bibliographies of important collections. As a leader in library collection development, he pioneered a shared collecting model across the Research Collections and Preservation Consortium, which allowed the Slavic librarians of Columbia, Cornell, Princeton, the New York Public Library, and Harvard to work together to exponentially increase the impact of their collecting through strategic acquisitions. As an elder statesman for our field, he has been an exceptionally generous colleague and mentor, inspiring no small number of Slavic scholars to pursue a career in librarianship. 

Lastly, no salute to Robert Davis is complete without mentioning his wonderful personality, generosity of spirit, wit and good humor, and quiet devotion to his field and his colleagues. The field of Slavic studies and the profession of Slavic librarianship is immeasurably richer for his participation, and we will all feel his absence in our professional lives deeply. We are delighted to honor Robert Davis and to celebrate his countless achievements and exceptional service with this year’s Distinguished Service Award.   

Award Committee: Anna Arays (chair), Olga Makarova, Janice Pilch, Liladhar Pendse, Brendan Nieubuurt, and Jon Giullian