ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

ACRL honors the 2003 award winners: The final installment of ACRL award winners

by Stephanie Sherrod

Wendy Pradt Lougee

This year’s Atkinson winner announced

Wendy Pradt Lougee, university librarian and McKnight presidential professor at the University of Minnesota, has been named the 2003 winner of the Hugh C. Atkinson Me- morial Award. Lougee will receive $2,000 and a citation during the ALA Annual Confer- ence in Toronto at the Association for Library Collections and Techni- cal Services (ALCTS)

President’s Program, June 23, 2003, at 9:30 a.m.

Named in honor of one of the pioneers of library automation, the Atkinson Award recognizes an academic librarian who has made significant contributions in the area of library automation or management, and has made notable improvements in library services or research.

“Wendy Pradt Lougee embodies many of the essential characteristics most valued by librarians: a commitment to information access, preservation of collections, and service to users, combined with a talent for collaboration. But, it is her ability to migrate these principles into the digital arena that makes her such an ideal recipient of the Atkinson Award,” said committee chair Janet Swan Hill.

“Projects such as JSTOR, for which she served as principal investigator for the pilot effort, and the University of Michigan’s Digital Library Program, which she headed, have significantly changed the vision and direction of research libraries by enhancing their ability to provide expanded access to information.”

Lougee earned a B.A. in English from Lawrence University in 1968 and an MLS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1973- Additionally, she received an M.A. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis in 1977.

Her publications include “A Report on the PEAK Experiment: Usage and Economic Behavior” (1999, http://www.dlib.org); “The University of Michigan Digital Library Program: A Retrospective on Collaboration Within the Academy” (1998); and “The JSTOR Solution: Accessing and Preserving the Past” (1997).

Lougee is an active member of ALA, the American Society for Information Science, the Minnesota Library Association, and the Michigan Library Association, which honored her in 2001 with the Walter H. Kaiser Award, given in recognition of innovation and creativity in the library field.

The Hugh C. Atkinson Award is jointly sponsored by four divisions of ALA, including ACRL, the Library Administration and Management Association, the Library and Information Technology Association, and ALCTS.

About the author

Stephanie Sherrod is ACRL program assistant; e-mail:ssherrod@ala.org

Elmborg named IS Publication Award winner

James K. Elmborg, assistant professor at the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Iowa, has been chosen as this year’s winner of the ACRL Instruction Section (IS) Publication Award.

Abbie Loomis and Kristin Strohmeyer, IS award committee chairs, said Elmborg’s article, “Teaching at the Desk: Toward a Reference Pedagogy,” reminds “public services librarians who work at the reference desk that teaching isn’t just something that happens in the classroom. It can—and should—happen at the reference desk, as well. Using constructivist learning theory and drawing upon the close connections between teaching composition theory and teaching research strategies, Elmborg develops a pedagogy for the reference desk. He encourages librarians to resist the temptation of simply doing students’ work for them at the reference desk and, instead, to take advantage of the ‘teachable moments’ reference transactions often provide.”

Elmborg will receive a citation during the ALA Annual Conference at the IS dinner on Friday, June 20.

Leab Exhibition Award winners named

There are four winners, two honorable mentions, and one award of special commendation for the 2003 Katharine Kyes Leab and Daniel J. Leab Awards.

In Division One (expensive), the winner is Devices of Wonder From the World in a Box to Images on a Screen by Barbara Maria Stafford and Frances Teipak, submitted by the Getty Research Institute. ACRL’s Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) awards committee chair, Claudia Funke, said of the publication, “The committee selected Devices of Wonder for its scholarly impact, defining, as it does, a distinct genre of special collections material from a broad selection of seemingly heterogeneous three-dimensional objects.

It was the feeling of the committee that any future research on the topic of ‘artful eye machines’ would have to reckon with this extensive examination. The catalog was also admired for its stunning design and production: the many high- quality color reproductions, the legible text, and the pleasingly smaller-than-coffee-table-book dimensions.”

Johannes Lebek: The Artist as a Witness of His Time,by Ronald Salter, from Stanford University

Libraries Department of Special Collections has been awarded an honorable mention in the Division One category. “The committee chose to give an honorable mention to Johannes Lebek for demonstrating the continued viability of a finely printed catalog,” Funke said.

The winner in Division Two (moderately expensive) is the College of the Holy Cross, Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery, and the American Antiquarian Society for their piece entitled Sacred Spaces: Building and Remembering Sites of Worship in the Nineteenth Century, by Geotgia Barnhill, William D. Moore, Louis Nelson, Virginia Chieffo Raguin, and Dell Upton. “Sacred Spaces a thorough treatment of a neglected topic using a wide variety of special collections materials,” said Funke. “It also represents a successful collaboration between professional scholars and undergraduate students.”

In Division Three (inexpensive), the New York Public Library’s Graphic Design Department’s Victorians, Moderns, Beats: New in the Berg Collection, 1994-2001, by Isaac Gewirtz is the winner. Funke commented, “ Victorians, Moderns, Beats is a model short exhibition catalog, with brief but thorough bibliographic citations and a first-rate essay. The latter eloquently interprets an important special collection’s acquisitions in tandem with the literary movements in one language on two continents, over the past two centuries.”

In Division Four (brochures), the winner is Virginia Roots Music: Creating and Conserving Tradition, by Gregg D. Kimball, from the Library of Virginia. Of the winning brochure, Funke said, “ Virginia Roots Music is an enticing introduction to a fascinating subject, the indigenous musical tradition of the state. The brochure is one of the best examples the committee has seen of a publication with K-12 appeal, yet enough sophistication to satisfy the educated exhibition-goer. It includes ‘Suggested Activities for Teachers,’ but also an informative text, bibliography, and discography. One could as easily picture the unfolded brochure—with its attractive map and images— mounted on an enthusiast’s home wall, as [well as] on a classroom bulletin board.”

A Division Four Honorable Mention has been awarded to the Pierpont Morgan Library for A Love Affair with Line: Drawings by Al Hirschfeld, by Fredric Woodbridge Wilson and Jennifer Tonkovich. A Love Affair with Line is an elegant example of the brochure genre. The well- written introduction, the detailed checklist, the bold primary colors, and the designer’s good sense to stay out of the way of Hirschfeld’s masterful graphics, all make this publication a fine exhibition souvenir,” said Funke.

Finally, one Special Commendation for Electronic Exhibitions has been awarded to the Bancroft Library at the University of California- Berkeley for Images of Native Americans (http:// bancroft.berkeley.edu/Exliibits/nativeamericans/). “The committee chose to commend Images of Native Americans for the successful way in which it chronicled a major library acquisition (the evaluation, purchase, and conservation of James Otto Lewis’s Aboriginal Port Folio, 1835-1836) in the context of related library holdings,” said Funke. “The committee also found the electronic exhibition to have excellent navigation and believed that it would have enduring value as a subject resource.”

Certificates will be presented to each winner during the ALA Annual Conference at the RBMS Program.

K. G. Saur Award

The University of Maryland Libraries’ Lila Faulkner, electronic publications graduate assistant, and Karla Hahn, management team leader, will receive the 2003 K. G. Saur Award for the most outstanding article in College & Research Libraries.

Their article “Evaluative Usage-Based Metrics for the Selection of E-Journals,” appeared in the May 2002 issue of C&RL.

“This article is representative of many of the best articles this year, many of which focused on the use of Web and electronic resources,” said selection committee chair Norma Kobzina. “It is well-thought-out, demonstrating a lot of intellectual rigor, and is extremely well written. It is relevant to the issue of selection of databases within the economic constraints that all libraries are facing.

The authors present an innovative approach to making selection decisions about electronic journals, asking specifically what is an acceptable cost. Much thought and analysis went into the usage metrics and benchmarks. With an interesting use of price models, this article invites adaptation and refinement by others.”

Faulkner and Hahn will receive $500 and plaques, donated by K. G. Saur Publishing Company, an imprint of the Gale Group, during the ALA Annual Conference at the ACRL President’s Program, Monday, June 23, 2003, at 1:30 p.m.

Lila Faulkner and Karla Hahn

Rockman named EBSS Distinguished Librarian

Ilene Rockman, manager of the information competence initiative, system-wide library initiatives at the University of California-Berkeley, has been chosen to receive the 2003 ACRL Education and Behavioral Sciences Section (EBSS) Distinguished Librarian Award.

“Rockman’s résumé clearly shows her longstanding commitment to service and scholarship in the areas of education and the behavioral sciences, with particular emphasis on instruction, information literacy, reference resources, and administration,” said committee chair Charles Thurston.

Rockman will be presented with her award citation during the ALA Annual Conference at the EBSS Program, Saturday, June 21, at 1:30 p.m.

STS Oberly Award goes to Frodin

David G. Frodin, honorary research associate of the Royal Botanic Gardens in the United Kingdom, is this year’s winner of the ACRL Science and Technology Section’s (STS) Oberly Award for Bibliography in the Agricultural or Natural Sciences.

“The bibliography is international in scope and is an excellent resource that is important for all libraries that have collections in botany and natural history,” said selection committee chair Kathy Fescemyer.

A plaque and cash prize will be awarded to Frodin, and he will be recognized during the STS Program at the upcoming ALA Annual Conference, Monday, June 23, at 8:30 a.m.

Olson wins Coutts Nijhoff Study Grant

Michael P. Olson, librarian for Germanic collections at Harvard University, has been selected to be receive the 2003 Coutts Nijhoff International West European Specialist Study Grant. This grant covers airfare to and from Europe, transportation in Europe, and lodging and board for up to 14 days. The primary criterion for awarding the grant is the significance and utility of the proposed project as a contribution to the study of the acquisition, organization, or use of library materials from or relating to Western Europe.

“The Coutts-Nijhoff Award Jury believes that Olson’s project, a book-length study entitled: “Two Libraries, Two Peoples: Die Deutsche Bibliothek and Die Staatsbibibliothek zu Berlin since German Reunification” will be a very timely and useful study of the social and historical realities of the amalgamation of East and West Germany, as expressed in the world of the library,” said jury chair Barbara Walden.

Olson will receive his plaque and up to 4,500 Euros during the ALA Annual Conference at the WESS meeting, Monday, June 23, at 8:30 a.m.

Carr and Baton Rouge Community College win CJCLS awards

Mary Carr, dean of instructional services and telecommunications and director of college development at Spokane Community College, has been selected as the 2003 winner of the Community and Junior College Libraries Section (CJCLS) EBSCO Community College Learning Resources Award. The award honors significant achievement in the advocacy of learning resources, as well as leadership in professional organizations that support the missions of community, junior, and technical colleges.

“Mary’s contributions and achievements in advocacy for community college libraries, and her leadership in professional associations, such as the National Council of Learning Resources, have had national impact,” said committee chair Paula Asch. “In particular, her roll in the formulation—and adoption by the American Association of Community Colleges—of the Position Statement on Library and Learning Resource Center Programs made Mary the clear and unanimous choice of the committee.”

Baton Rouge Community College has been chosen to receive the CJCLS/EBSCO Community College Learning Resources Program Achievement Award.

“The committee was impressed with the library’s ‘whole package’ approach for collaboration between faculty and library/learning resources staff for a program that encompasses information literacy, instructional technology, and course content design,” said Asch. “The library has taken the initiative in reaching out to faculty for this collaboration.”

A citation and $500, donated by EBSCO Information Services, will be presented to each recipient during the ALA Annual Conference at the CJCLS Membership Meeting, Sunday, June 22, at 8:00 a.m.

University of Michigan wins IS Innovation in Instruction Award

The Instructor College Task Force at the University of Michigan Library, consisting of Laurie Alexander, Joy Cichewicz, Karen Downing, Laurie Sutch, and Patricia Yocum, has been chosen to receive the 2003 ACRL Instruction Section Innovation in Instruction Award for efforts in strengthening the instructional skills of library staff.

Sponsored by Lexis-Nexis, the award recognizes librarians who have developed innovative approaches to information literacy that support best practices in education at their institutions or in their communities.

“The Instructor College is a comprehensive and focused staff development program designed to strengthen the instructional skills of library staff through an ongoing, in-house professional development program,” said committee chairs Abbie Loomis and Kristin Strohmeyer. “Grounded in an ongoing needs assessment process, the Instructor College provides programs and workshops designed to meet the specific continuing education needs of the university library’s instruction staff. The program makes efficient use of resources by tapping into in-house and on-campus expertise and by developing an ongoing, systematized, in-house curriculum for all instruction staff. The program not only is an invaluable resource for library staff, but it also sends a strong message to the whole campus that librarians care about teaching. The program can serve as a model for other libraries, including regional consortia of libraries. Components of the program can serve as models for libraries of any size.”

A prize of $3,000 and a plaque will be presented to the task force members during the ALA Annual Conference at the IS Program, Sunday, June 22, at 1:30 p.m. ■