Family Remembrance

Allyson Carlyle, beloved mentor, colleague and friend, passed away unexpectedly in Seattle, Washington on Sunday, April 5, 2020, due to a brain tumor. She was 66 years old.

Allyson was born to Virginia Carlyle (now Unruh) and C. Phillips Carlyle on February 21, 1954 in Detroit, Michigan. After finishing her undergraduate degree at the College of Idaho, Allyson served in the Peace Corps spending two years in Burkina Faso. From that time onward she contributed to charities there supporting the education of girls. Allyson returned to school at UCLA’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science in 1984 and received a Masters in 1986 and PhD in 1994. Two things from her time in LA stayed with her as a source of joy: a six-week period of study at the Bodleian Library at Oxford, and working as a children’s librarian in the Beverly Hills Public Library.

Her first faculty position was at the School of Library & Information Science at Kent State University from 1994-96, where she met Lisa Fusco. Lisa and Allyson stayed together for 20 years and shared a professional and personal life. In 1996 Allyson joined the faculty of the University of Washington in what is now called The Information School. She taught courses in cataloging, organization of information and classification theory. In 2002 Allyson offered her leadership as the first Associate Dean of Academics at the Information School.

Allyson was an internationally known scholar in the area of organization of information about library materials. Her research papers were published in scientific journals and conference proceedings, and she was invited to give many presentations in academic and professional settings. Her work was recognized by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, OCLC and the Association for Library and Information Science Education. She won the ALISE/Bohdan S. Wynar and Jesse H. Shera best paper awards, and was honored by her graduate students with a nomination for the Marsha L. Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award. Allyson was active in the American Library Association, the American Society for Information Science and Technology, and the Association for Library and Information Science Education. She was also on various committees at the library schools of the University of Washington, Kent State University and UCLA, and on the editorial boards of several academic journals.

Allyson forged deep friendships among colleagues and students. It was her life’s work to help create a wonderful learning, research, and service home at UW. She mentored many PhD students over the years, including the very first graduate of the program. She was a devoted teacher, challenging and supporting students by turns, and connecting them with jobs. She is remembered for her quick and gracious generosity — sharing her office when a colleague’s was under repair — or offering to swap her office with a view for another with no window. She set a tone of collaboration and kindness in the department.

Highly principled and courageous, Allyson was respected among the faculty and staff for keeping true values foremost in everyone’s thinking and decisions. Particularly close to her heart was her active involvement in recruiting, mentoring, and promoting faculty and students of color, primarily Native Americans.

Allyson was a serious student of Buddhism at Bodhiheart Sangha for nearly fifteen years. She was loved at the Sangha for her disarming, down-to-earth friendliness, her outstanding qualities as a student — she was a scrupulous pursuer of dropped outline points — and her fabulous cooking. Every weekend for two years of a building project she arrived with a main dish and a cake from the All Cakes Considered cookbook. She remembered what people liked and disliked, and what they could and couldn’t eat. As the president of the board she led with practical wisdom and patience.

She was a brilliant friend, not only quick to help in whatever was needed, but also extraordinarily capable. Many friends, some dating back to her Peace Corps days, reckon Allyson as a dear family member and are feeling a deep loss. She thought of herself a family member to the Howells of Idaho.

Allyson was preceded in death by her father. She is survived by her mother Virginia Unruh and her younger brother, Robert Carlyle, and Lisa Fusco, her very dear longtime friend and roommate. She is also survived by three step siblings, Gary Unruh, Dennis Unruh, and Viv Nabhani, and by nephew Jon Unruh, and niece, Brandy Unruh. 

A memorial service will be held in Seattle sometime in the future when travel and congregating is possible. Instead of sending flowers, you may make contributions to the following charities that Allyson supported.