Skip to Main Content

55th CBHL Annual Meeting 2023

A LibGuide for the CBHL Annual Meeting in 2023, hosted virtually by the Fort Worth Botanic Garden | Botanical Research Institute of Texas.

Member Presentations

Member Presentations


The Council of Botanical & Horticultural Libraries 55th Annual Meeting (all virtual) from May 2-4, 2023 will focus on the theme of “Hybridity & Harmony”, which speaks to the balancing act of delivering information services and expertise both in-person and virtually.


We will share our best practices in remote work, collections care and management, trends in technology and user engagement, and fresh strategies for adapting and flourishing in an ever-changing digital landscape.

Wednesday, May 3rd
11-11:30am: "ACORN Turns 8!", Rita Hassert & Danielle Nowak, Library Collections Manager & Digital Assets Librarian, Morton Arboretum

Launched by the staff of the Sterling Morton Library, ACORN is turning 8! ACORN (Arboretum COllections and Resources Nexus) provides online access to the special collections of the Sterling Morton Library and other resources like images, videos, and documents of The Morton Arboretum. Developed to wrangle collections, decrease barriers, reveal hidden treasures, capture and connect stories, and encourage access, ACORN has increased use of our collections in new and surprising ways. In this presentation, Rita and Danielle will outline ACORN’s history, current initiatives, and what’s ahead for this resource.

Rita Hassert, MLIS
Holding an M.S. in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois, Rita is the Library Collections Manager of the Sterling Morton Library at The Morton Arboretum. An avid gardener and researcher, she finds herself keenly interested and engaged in the intersection of gardens, people, information, community, art, plants, technology, and libraries. An active CBHL member, she has hosted annual meetings, served as President, chaired several committees, and contributes to the CBHL Newsletter.

Danielle Nowak, MLS, CA
Danielle Nowak is the Digital Assets Librarian at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, where she maintains and contributes to the Arboretum’s collections management system, ACORN. Nowak earned her bachelor's degree in history from Purdue University and her masters in library science from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). She is also a certified archivist through the Academy of Certified Archivists.

Thursday, May 4th

10:30-11am: "Cultivating Community Garden Histories: A Community Memory Project,"
Janet Evans, Associate Director, McLean Library, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

In this project, funded by IMLS, we created a digital archive to support community gardeners and urban farmers throughout Philadelphia. The collection includes images, videos, and audio stories created to help preserve the long history of community gardening in Philadelphia and to help others to better understand the meaning and value of community gardens – today and in the future.

Janet Evans is Associate Director, McLean Library & Archives at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society where, over the years, she has moved the library into the digital age by digitizing key collections, bringing eBooks to users, and by providing “virtual” 24/7 reference via PHS’s askPHS service. Janet has served in many capacities in CBHL and has served on the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections (PACSCL). She has an M.L.S. in Library and Information Studies from Drexel University. In her free time Janet loves taking in nature, reading and having spirited discussions about books.