Northern Illinois University Libraries proudly hosted the annual conference of the Horatio Alger Society from May 1–4, 2025, marking the fourth time the university has welcomed the event. Previous conferences were held on the NIU campus in 1999, 2004, and 2012.
The conference was expertly organized by Matthew Short, Head of Technical Services at NIU Libraries, who coordinated a full schedule of events. Highlights included a guided tour of the historic Ellwood House and a banquet in the Holmes Student Center’s Sky Room. Most sessions took place at Founders Memorial Library, while attendees were accommodated at the Holmes Student Center Hotel.
This year’s conference brought together 23 official participants, along with NIU faculty and students who joined the panel discussions open to the campus community. The opening session featured a welcome by Library Dean Fred Barnhart.
The Society, which supports an annual research fellowship at NIU Libraries through an endowed fund, featured three past fellowship recipients as conference presenters:
- Dr. Emily Coccia, Carleton College
- Dr. Fredrik Stark, Texas A&M University–Kingsville
- Dr. Melissa Adams-Campbell, Northern Illinois University
Each scholar shared insights into their research using NIU’s extensive collections of nineteenth-century popular fiction.
A major highlight of the event was an in-depth tour of the Special Collections and Archives led by Rare Books Librarian Beth McGowan. Attendees had the opportunity to view rare editions from the Horatio Alger Repository and the American Popular Literature Collection, along with a demonstration in the newly established Book Lab, including NIU’s replica Common Press.
Another standout session was led by Sata Prescott, Preservation Coordinator, who showcased the Libraries’ preservation and digitization efforts with examples of restored rare materials.
The conference culminated in a celebratory awards banquet, featuring a keynote address by NIU Professor of English Mark Van Wienen, who spoke on the role of railroads in dime novels. During the banquet, NIU student and library worker Leyla Yaman received the Strive and Succeed Award, given annually by the Society to an outstanding local student.
The event received high praise from participants and was commended in the Society’s newsletter, Newsboy. Society President Liane Houghtalin remarked, “Watching the NIU library staff in action confirmed that Horatio Alger’s legacy is in very good hands.”
