# Beta Phi Mu

Beta Phi Mu (also ΒΦΜ or βφμ) is an American honor society for library & information science and information technology. Founded by a group of librarians and library educators, the society's express purpose is to recognize and encourage "superior academic achievement" among library and information studies students. Beta Phi Mu now has 31 active chapters in the U.S. and abroad, continues to sponsor various publications, and funds several scholarships.

## History

Beta Phi Mu was founded in August 1948 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Its founders were library educators and leading librarians. Beta Phi Mu was created as an honor society for information sciences to recognize the notable achievements within the profession. Rolland Stevens was its first president and Harold Lancour was its first executive secretary.
Beta Phi Mu held its first initiation in Illinois in the spring of 1949 at the University of Illinois. In 1954, it presented its first Distinguished Service to Library Education Award; the award became an official award of the American Library Association in 1956.
The oldest library honor society in the United States, local Pi Lambda Sigma founded in 1903 at Syracuse University, became a chapter of Beta Phi Mu in 1959.
Beta Phi Mu was admitted to the Association of College Honor Societies in 1969. The society becomes an affiliate of the American Library Association in 1998.
As of August 2012, ΒΦΜ had initiated 40,000 members. In 2024, it has 23,000 active members.

## Symbols

The society's name comes from the initials in the Greek phrase Bibliothekarios philax mathesis, meaning "the librarian is the guardian of knowledge". Its motto is "Aliis inserviendo consumor" or "consumed in the service of others". A dolphin and anchor, the mark of Venetian printer Aldus Manutius, serves as the society's insignia. The society's colors, as signified on honor cords, are purple and white. Its publication is The Pipeline.

## Activities

The society presents the Beta Phi Mu Award to a library school faculty member or an individual for distinguished service to education for librarianship. The first award was made in 1954 to Rudolph Hjalmar Gjelsness, dean of the University of Michigan's Library Science Department from 1940 to 1964.
Beta Phi Mu has a scholarship program for beginning students, members seeking continuing education and foreign study, and doctoral students. One of its main activities is the publication of its Monograph Series.

## Membership

Eligibility for membership in Beta Phi Mu is by invitation of the faculty from an ALA-accredited professional degree program. Invitations are extended only to individuals who complete the requirements for a master's degree and achieve at least a 3.75 (out of 4.0) GPA; invitations are further limited to a maximum of 25% of any given graduating class. Each eligible candidate must also be recommended for election by the faculty of the candidate’s school.

## Chapters

The following list indicates active chapters in bold.
| Chapter | Charter date | Institution | Location | Status |
| Alpha | August 1948 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, Illinois | Active |
| Gamma | | Florida State University | Tallahassee, Florida | Active |
| Epsilon | | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Active |
| Theta | | Pratt Institute | New York City, New York | Active |
| Iota | | Catholic University of America | Washington, D.C. | Active |
| Iota | | University of Maryland, College Park | College Park, Maryland | Active |
| Lambda | | University of Oklahoma | Norman, Oklahoma | Active |
| Xi | | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa | Honolulu, Hawaii | Active |
| Omicron | | Rutgers University–New Brunswick | New Brunswick, New Jersey | Active |
| Pi | | University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Sigma | | Drexel University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Psi | | University of Missouri | Columbia, Missouri | Active |
| Omega | | San Jose State University | San Jose, California | Active |
| Pi Lambda Sigma | 1959 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, New York | Active |
| Beta Beta | | Simmons University | Boston, Massachusetts | Active |
| Beta Delta | | University at Buffalo | Buffalo, New York | Active |
| Beta Epsilon | | Emporia State University | Emporia, Kansas | Active |
| Beta Iota | | University of Rhode Island | Kingston, Rhode Island | Active |
| Beta Kappa | | University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, Alabama | Active |
| Beta Lambda | | Texas Woman's University | Denton, Texas | Active |
| Beta Pi | | University of Arizona | Tucson, Arizona | Active |
| Beta Rho | | University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Active |
| Beta Phi | | University of South Florida | Tampa, Florida | Active |
| Beta Psi | June 9, 1981 | University of Southern Mississippi | Hattiesburg, Mississippi | Active |
| Beta Omega | | University of South Carolina | Columbia, South Carolina | Active |
| Beta Beta Theta | | University of Iowa | Iowa City, Iowa | Active |
| Beta Beta Mu | | Valdosta State University | Valdosta, Georgia | Active |
| Beta Beta Nu | | University of North Texas | Denton, Texas | Active |
| Beta Beta Xi | | St. Catherine University | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Active |
| Beta Beta Omicron | | East Carolina University | Greenville, North Carolina | Active |
| Beta Beta Pi | | University of Central Missouri | Warrensburg, Missouri | Active |
| | | Alabama A&M University | Normal, Alabama | Inactive |
| | | Brigham Young University | Provo, Utah | Inactive |
| | | Clarion University of Pennsylvania | Clarion, Pennsylvania | Inactive |
| | | Clark Atlanta University | Atlanta, Georgia | Inactive |
| | | Columbia University | New York City, New York | Inactive |
| | | Dominican University | River Forest, Illinois | Inactive |
| | | Duke University | Durham, North Carolina | Inactive |
| | | Indiana University Bloomington | Bloomington, Indiana | Inactive |
| | | Kent State University | Kent, Ohio | Inactive |
| | | LIU Post | Brookville, New York | Inactive |
| | | Loughborough University | Loughborough, United Kingdom | Inactive |
| | | Louisiana State University | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Inactive |
| | | North Carolina Central University | Durham, North Carolina | Inactive |
| | | Queens College, City University of New York | Flushing, Queens, New York | Inactive |
| | | St. John's University | Jamaica, Queens, New York | Inactive |
| | | State University of New York at Geneseo | Geneseo, New York | Inactive |
| | | State University of New York at Albany | Albany, New York | Inactive |
| | | University of Denver | Denver, Colorado | Inactive |
| | | University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky | Inactive |
| | | University of Maryland Eastern Shore | Princess Anne, Maryland | Inactive |
| | | University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Inactive |
| | | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, North Carolina | Inactive |
| | | University of Oregon | Eugene, Oregon | Inactive |
| | | University of Puerto Rico | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Inactive |
| | | University of Rhode Island | Kingston, Rhode Island | Inactive |
| | | University of South Florida | Sarasota, Florida | Inactive |
| | | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, California | Inactive |
| | | University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Tennessee | Inactive |
| | | University of Texas at Austin | Austin, Texas | Inactive |
| | | University of Wisconsin–Madison | Madison, Wisconsin | Inactive |
| | | Wayne State University | Detroit, Michigan | Inactive |
| | | Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, Michigan | Inactive |
* ↑ The chapter formed from Pi Lambda Sigma, a local library honor society founded in 1903.