Margaret Dalton

Margaret Stieg Dalton, 79, passed away Tuesday March 1, 2022 at her home in Tuscaloosa. She was born May 20, 1942 in Utica, New York to Lewis Francis and Mildred Marie Graf Stieg.

Margaret was predeceased by her parents and by her husband Jack Dalton, a former director of the University of Virginia Library and former dean at Columbia University. She is survived by her sister Laura Stieg Chapman, brother-in-law Hugh Chapman, nephews Ian and Andrew Chapman, and her great nieces, Rosa and Etta Chapman, all of London, England. She also leaves five cousins: Ann Bricarello, John Bricarello, Karen Baer, Jean Kissner, and Carolyn Moeller; her step son John Dalton; and her beloved Cairn Terrier, Geordie.

In addition to her family, Margaret will be greatly missed by her closest friends: Pat Craig, Joan Atkinson, Annabel Stephens, John Felbinger, Amy Naramore, and Lynn McMaster and by her many other personal and professional friends throughout the country.

Margaret was a true scholar. Her degrees include an A.B. (Government) from Harvard University, an M.S. in L.S. from Columbia University, and both an M.A. (History) and a Ph.D.(History) from the University of California, Berkeley.

Before becoming a Library Science educator, Margaret worked from 1968-1971 as a Reference Librarian at Harvard University's Widener Library. She served on the faculty at the Graduate School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alabama from 1972-1975 and at Columbia University's School of Library Services from 1975-1983.

Margaret returned to the faculty of the Graduate School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alabama in 1983, where she taught reference services to hundreds of graduate students and held the Bristol Endowed Professorship. She retired in 2011 as a Full Professor.

Her publications in history, librarianship, and scholarly communication are well known throughout the library and history communities. She was a prolific author of numerous professional articles and six books, among them "The Origin and Development of Scholarly Historic Periodicals," which received considerable acclaim; "Change and Challenge in Library and Information Science Education," and "Public Libraries in Nazi Germany," for which she received the first Fraenkel Prize in Contemporary History.

She was also the recipient of a University of Alabama Burnum Distinguished Faculty Award, the ALISE Award for Professional Contribution to Library and Information Science Education, the Gilbert Mudge Award from the American Library Association for her distinguished contribution to reference librarianship, and the Justin Windsor Prize from the American Library Association.

While living in the Philippines and Turkey where her father assisted in development of the University of the Philippines and University of Ankara libraries, Margaret developed a love of international travel. She continued her travels throughout her life-conducting research and collecting ceramic tiles in England and Germany, studying international librarianship, giving invited lectures, and visiting her sister and her family and other friends she developed while doing research. In addition to traveling and collecting tiles, Roseville vases and bookends, and antique furniture, Margaret especially enjoyed sewing, designing and making beautiful quilts, and sharing meals and conversation with friends.

For six years Margaret was a member of the Congregation of Saint Saviour at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. After moving back to Tuscaloosa, her membership was transferred by letter of transfer from the Congregation to Christ Episcopal Church in Tuscaloosa.

Her service, to be officiated by the Reverend Paul Pradat, will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday March 11, 2022 at Christ Episcopal Church, 605 Lurlene Wallace Blvd, N. in Tuscaloosa.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be sent to the Tuscaloosa Metro

Animal Shelter, 3140 35th Street, Tuscaloosa AL 35401, or to a favorite charity.