MSU Libraries Murray & Hong Special Collections wins 2025 State History Award
EAST LANSING, Mich., Oct. 2025 – The Michigan State University Libraries Stephen O. Murray & Keelung Hong Special Collections has won the 2025 State History Award for Institutions.
The prestigious award was presented last month by the Historical Society of Michigan at the Michigan History Conference in Alpena. The Historical Society of Michigan is the state’s official historical society and oldest cultural organization. The State History Award is presented annually to “individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the appreciation, collection, preservation and/or promotion of state and local history” according to the Historical Society of Michigan website.
MSU Libraries Director of Development Caitlyn Perry Dial and Rare Books Cataloger Tad Boehmer received the award on behalf of the Libraries. Dial expressed appreciation for the opportunity to commemorate the work of MSU Libraries faculty and staff through the awards ceremony.
“It was an incredible honor to attend the Historical Society of Michigan’s State History Awards and celebrate the Stephen O. Murray and Keelung Hong Special Collections,” Dial said. “Being there in person to recognize the impact of these collections, so rich in Michigan’s history and so vital to researchers across the state and beyond, was truly meaningful. The recent renovation has elevated Special Collections into a premier destination for historical scholarship, and this award is a testament to the dedication of the team who ensures these resources remain accessible and relevant for generations to come.”
Head of Murray & Hong Special Collections and University Archives Leslie McRoberts spoke to the significance of the award for the Libraries in recognizing the impact of preserving the past for the future.
“Receiving this State History Award has been a profound honor for the Murray & Hong Special Collections,” McRoberts said. “It not only recognizes the value of preserving our shared past, but it also provides a space to rediscover ideas, theories and worldviews that laid the foundation of modern thought. While these stories will remain accessible for future generations, this award affirms the importance of books and archival collections as living resources for discovery. We continue to inspire current and future scholars who in return inspire us to continue expanding our reach, deepening our stewardship and ensuring that all voices endure.”
The MSU Press also garnered recognition at the event. “A Place in Common: Rethinking the History of Early Detroit,” edited by Karen L. Marrero and Andrew K. Sturtevant, received a 2025 State History Award in the category of Books: University & Commercial Press. The book “fills a large gap in examining of the city’s early history” in its exploration of Detroit from the start of the 18th century into the 1800s, including the roles of Indigenous, European and Black founders in the city’s origins.
Dean of MSU Libraries Neil Romanosky commended the work of the two MSU Libraries units in garnering the distinguished award.
“I am extremely pleased and proud to have both the Murray & Hong Special Collections and the MSU Press be recognized with a State History Award. The stewardship of Leslie and her team in caring for the more than 500,000 materials in Special Collections, including some of the most valuable resources on campus, is inimitable, while the leadership of MSU Press Director Elizabeth Demers has been instrumental in publishing new and important work highlighting our regional history and beyond with books like ‘A Place in Common.’”
The MSU Libraries, ranked among the top research libraries in North America, is at the center of academic life at Michigan State University, providing expertise, collections and infrastructure for discovery and creation. The MSU Libraries facilitates connections that support research, teaching and learning in MSU’s local and global communities.
The MSU Press is the scholarly publishing arm of MSU, the nation’s pioneer land-grant university and the prototype for the institutions established under the Morrill Act of 1862. Since its founding in 1947, the mission of the MSU Press has been to be a catalyst for positive intellectual, social and technological change through the publication of research and intellectual inquiry, making significant contributions to scholarship in the arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences.