ALCTS Awards Honor Outstanding Contributions

Each year ALCTS and its sections present eight awards to honor individuals who have made highly significant contributions in the areas of technical services, collection development, and preservation. The 2002 ALCTS awards were presented on June 23, 2003 at the ALCTS membership meeting during ALA Annual Conference in Toronto.

We shall not let it go unnoticed that Wendy Pradt Lougee University Librarian at University of Minnesota-Minneapolis, was the recipient of the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award this year. The award, which recognizes outstanding accomplishments of an academic librarian, is sponsored jointly by the Association for College and Research Libraries (ACRL), ALCTS, the Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA) and the Library Information Technology Association LITA). This year it was ALCTS' turn to announce the award at our division's awards ceremony. Janet Swan Hill, awards chair, presented the award to Ms. Lougee.

In addition, ALCTS President Olivia M.A. Madison chose to recognize the exceptional achievement of four people who have made very special contributions to ALCTS, with three Presidential Citations.

Paul Banks and Carolyn Harris Preservation Award
Best of LRTS Award
Blackwell's Scholarship Award
Bowker/Ulrich's Serials Librarianship Award
First Step Award/Wiley Professional Development Grant
Leadership in Library Acquisitions Award
Margaret Mann Citation
Esther J. Piercy Award
Presidential Citations

Paul Banks and Carolyn Harris Preservation Award

John F. Dean, Director, Department of Preservation and Collections Maintenance, Cornell University Libraries, is the recipient of the 2003 ALCTS Paul Banks & Carolyn Harris Preservation Award. John's career in the field of preservation and conservation began at age eleven, when he began a six-year apprenticeship in bookbinding in his native England. After his apprenticeship and following a two-year stint in the British Army, John returned to the bench as a journeyman binder, and in 1960 began his career in research library conservation and preservation. In 1970, John came to the United States, where he took over the management of the book conservation operation at the Newberry Library in Chicago. By the end of his five-year term there, John had significantly upgraded and "professionalized" the conservation operation, and had earned a masters degree in library science from the University of Chicago.

In 1975, John moved to the Johns Hopkins University to build an entirely new preservation program and to establish a five-year apprenticeship training program based on the British model. Twelve interns completed this program, a list a professionals that include other leaders in the North American preservation effort. In 1985 John moved to Cornell University where he developed the Libraries' Department of Preservation and Conservation that addressed Cornell's needs in binding / shelf preparation, digital imaging, conservation treatment, environmental monitoring, stacks management, and education / training. Cornell's program is now recognized everywhere as a leading comprehensive program. Since 1991, John has provided extensive training to both national and international preservation and conservation interns and over 75 library conservation technicians. His training and consulting work in Southeast Asia continues online and in person, with at least six weeks each year spent in situ. He continues to serve as a mentor and advisor to many individuals in the field across the country and around the globe.

The Paul Banks and Carolyn Harris Preservation Award presented by the Preservation and Reformatting Section (PARS) of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) honors the memories of Paul Banks and Carolyn Harris, early leaders in library preservation, teachers, and mentors for many in the field of preservation. The award, consisting of $1,500 and a citation, sponsored by Preservation Technologies, L.P., recognizes the contribution of a professional preservation specialist who has been active in the field of preservation and/or conservation for library and /or archival materials.

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Best of LRTS Award

Richard Fyffe, Assistant Dean for Scholarly Communication at the University of Kansas, was honored for his article "Technological Change and the Scholarly Communications Reform Movement: Reflections on Castells and Giddens" Library Resources & Technical Services 46 (2): 50-61, April 2002. Fyffe "has identified in this outstanding article key concepts that form the underlying basis for the current crisis in scholarly communications. He explains how the growing instability in the system of scholarly information exchange derives in significant part from tensions between the academic culture and the market economy upon which the academy has come to depend. Fyffe also shows how risk is a necessary and integral part of the present technical and economic environment, and he explains why it is essential for libraries to ensure that their parent institutions recognize and share that risk."

This article adds substantially to the study of scholarly communications, and will help libraries better understand not only the growing problems but also the reasons institutional responses to such problems have proven so difficult.

Fyffe is Assistant Dean for Scholarly Communication in the University of Kansas Libraries, Lawrence. His responsibilities include administrative oversight of collection development, electronic licensing, and preservation, in addition to education and advocacy on scholarly communications issues with library staff, faculty, and administration. His previous positions include Head of Collections Services at the University of Connecticut Libraries, Storrs; Humanities Bibliographer and Curator of Literary Archives at the University of Connecticut; Director of the Library at the Essex Institute, Salem, Massachusetts; and rare book cataloging positions at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts. He earned an MS in Library and Information Science at Simmons College, Boston; and BA and MA degrees in Philosophy at the University of Connecticut. He is a member of the ACRL Scholarly Communications Committee.

The award, a citation and $250, is given to the author(s) of the best paper published each year in the official journal of ALCTS, Library Resources & Technical Services (LRTS). Fyffe holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Philosophy from the University of Connecticut, Storrs, and an M.S. in Library Science from Simmons College.

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Blackwell's Scholarship Award

Richard Fyffe's article "Technological Change and the Scholarly Communications Reform Movement; Reflections on Castells and Giddens", published in Library Resources & Technical Services, April 2002, has been selected to receive the Blackwell's Scholarship Award for the best publication of the year in acquisitions, collection development, and related areas of resources development in libraries. In his article "Technological Change and the Scholarly Communications Reform Movement: Reflections on Castells and Giddens" Library Resources & Technical Services 46 (2): 50-61, April 2002, Fyffe "examines the risks of current changes to the scholarly communication systems by calling attention to fragility of digital systems and the resulting possibility of significant cultural loss. He supports his analysis by drawing upon the work of several prominent social theorists and provides a different context to view the cultural change in process." This article adds substantially to the study of scholarly communications, and will help libraries better understand not only the growing problems but also the reasons institutional responses to such problems have proven so difficult.

The award, a citation and $2,000 scholarship to the library school of the winner's choice donated by Blackwell's, is given to the author(s) of an outstanding monograph, published article or original paper on acquisitions, collection development or related areas of resource development. Fyffe has designated the $2,000 scholarship be awarded to the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

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Bowker/Ulrich's Serials Librarianship Award

Frieda Rosenberg, Head of Serials Cataloging at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is this year's recipient. Ms. Rosenberg's efforts "have greatly assisted the library community to better understand the advantages of the MARC holdings standard to manage and display holdings data. Particularly noteworthy was her co-development of the Serial Holdings Workshop for CONSER's Serials Cataloging Cooperative Training Program and the critical role she played in the successful development of the CONSER Publication Pattern Initiative. Her ability to effectively share her expertise on serial holdings management with colleagues across many libraries has lead to successful implementation of MARC holdings and sharing of pattern data."

Jean Hirons, CONSER Coordinator at Library of Congress, stated that Rosenberg "has distinguished herself as a champion for the MARC 21 Format for Holdings Data and the importance of holdings in libraries. Through her many written works and presentations she has helped make the format accessible to library staff at all levels. As more and more libraries implement new online systems that incorporate MARC 21 holdings, the need to understand the format and its uses has become vital. And while holdings have traditionally been considered "local," today we are seeing the benefits of standardized holdings for enhanced union listing and Z39.50 searching, library-to-library data exchanges, and improved linkages from indexes to local holdings."

Presented by the ALCTS Serials Section, the award consists of a citation and $1,500, donated by R. R. Bowker. This award is given for distinguished contributions to serials librarianship, including but not limited to those made within the previous three years, demonstrated by such activities as leadership in serials-related activities through participation in professional associations and/or library education programs, contributions to the body of serials literature, conduct of research in the area of serials, development of tools or methods to enhance access to or management of serials, other advances leading to a better understanding of the field of serials.

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First Step Award/Wiley Professional Development Grant

Dianne Ford, Coordinator of Periodicals and Public Documents at Elon University in Elon, NC, is this year's recipient. "Dianne Ford does it all, from acquisitions to cataloging to managing students to reference, and clearly relishes the diversity of serials and the new tasks she has quickly mastered. She has shown her commitment to professional development through association memberships and active participation in state professional groups. Her desire to participate in ALA at the national level indicated her potential to contribute enthusiastically to the organization."

Ms. Ford received her B.S. in biology from Wake Forest University in 1971, did graduate work in cell biology at North Carolina State University, and received her M.L.I.S. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2002. She is an active member of ALA, the North American Serials Interest Group, the North Carolina Library Association and North Carolina Special Library Association, and the Council of Botanical and Horticultural Libraries. While a graduate student working as a circulation assistant at Elon University, she developed a Disaster Management Plan for the library.

John Wiley & Sons sponsors the $1,500 grant Presented by the Serials Section, providing librarians new to the serials field with the opportunity to broaden their perspective, encouraging professional development by attending ALA Annual Conference and participate in ALCTS Serials Section activities. It is applicable toward round trip transportation, lodging, registration fees, and related expenses.

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Leadership in Library Acquisitions Award

Julia Gammon, Acquisitions Librarian at the University of Akron Libraries, is the recipient of the 2003 Leadership in Library Acquisitions Award presented by the ALCTS Acquisitions Section. The award, a citation and a $1,500 grant sponsored by Otto Harrassowitz, is given to recognize the contributions by and the outstanding leadership of an individual in the field of acquisitions librarianship. "Julie has presented many papers, workshops and programs at international, national, regional, and state events on a wide range of topics covering the full scope of acquisitions issues. Her widespread expertise and boundless energy is reflected in a diverse array of publications. Julie serves on the editorial boards of the major professional journals in her discipline and is a contributing columnist for other publications. She has given dedicated service to many ALCTS committees. Julie epitomizes the skills and knowledge that is so desirable among professionals in acquisitions. She has been remarkable in the time she has devoted to mentoring new professionals and encouraging others to join the profession."

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Margaret Mann Citation

Thomas J. Delsey, who recently retired after 23 years of service at the National Library of Canada, has been honored for his outstanding professional achievement in cataloging and classification. The award citation reads: "For his extraordinary contributions to the ongoing development of the AACR and the MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data (MARC); for his profound influence on the theory and practice of cataloging and on the internationalization of cataloging standards; and for his formidable contributions to the development of IFLA's Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR), which are now influencing revisions to the rules, making them more internally consistent and comprehensible to catalogers world-wide.

"At a time when changes in technology and the development of new content varieties called for a thorough reevaluation of he basic principles of AACR and even a questioning of its continued relevance, Mr. Delsey took the lead in thoughtfully challenging long-standing assumptions and in providing new theoretical foundations for bibliographic control. Mr. Delsey demonstrated that the application of data-modeling techniques could provide a logical analysis of principles and structures underlying not only record and database structure but even AACR itself."

In addition, Delsey's formidable contributions to the development of IFLA's Functional Requirements of Bibliographic Records (FRBR) are now influencing revisions to the rules, making them more internally consistent and comprehensible to catalogers world-wide. Delsey mapped what catalogers do on a daily basis to logical models which not only force cataloging agencies to review their own cataloging requirements but also influence standards for metadata and online library systems development.

"The most significant contribution--the real contribution--that Tom Delsey has made to cataloging over the last several years is that of teaching us not what to think, but how to think about cataloging in general and AACR in particular� The 'Delsey Model' is a mental one: a roadmap to and through the world of cataloging�" said Brian E. C. Schottlaender, University Librarian at the University of California at San Diego. "More than anyone, he has succeeded in stirring the interlinked colossi of bibliographic description, AACR and MARC and begun to move them in a new direction" said Michael Heaney, Head of Service Assessment and Planning, Oxford University Library Services.

Delsey holds a master's degree in library science from the University of Western Ontario and a doctorate in English literature from Harvard University.

The award is a citation and a $2,000 scholarship donated, in the recipient's honor by OCLC, Inc., to the library school of the winner's choice. It recognizes outstanding professional achievement in cataloging or classification either through publication of significant professional literature, participation in professional cataloging associations, demonstrated excellence in teaching cataloging, or valuable contributions to practice in individual libraries. Mr. Delsey has designated the University of Western Ontario Faculty of Information and Media Studies as scholarship recipient.

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Esther J. Piercy Award

The award, a citation and $1,500 donated by YBP, Inc., is given to a librarian with fewer than ten years' experience for contributions and leadership in the field of library collections and technical services. Karen E.K. Brown, Preservation Librarian at the State University of New York at Albany, has been recognized for her "outstanding accomplishments that have earned her a position of national and international leadership in the field of preservation; for her outstanding organizational and teaching skills that have resulted in her rapid professional advancement; for the numerous contributions to the professional literature that have enhanced our understanding of preservation and its management; and for her commitment to sharing her expertise through teaching and consulting from the local to the international level."

Brown has a BFA in drawing and printmaking from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City. She then received a Master of Art Conservation degree with a specialization in paper objects from Queen's University Art Conservation Program in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. She began her career as a conservator at the Provincial Archives (New Brunswick) at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. After she received her Master of Library and Information Studies degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, she took a job as field service representative for the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, Massachusetts. After four years at NEDCC, she moved to SUNY Albany.

Since joining the profession in 1995 as a preservation librarian, Brown has distinguished herself first at the Northeast Document Conservation Center as a field service representative, and currently at the University at Albany as Preservation Librarian. She is frequently (or more accurately-constantly) called upon to execute needs assessment surveys and consultations. Libraries all up and down the East Coast have benefited from her expert consultancies. The workshops and conferences she has organized and led have taken her far beyond the shores of the U.S. to Cuba and South Africa. In the three years from 1999 to 2001 alone, she has authored or co-authored five articles and book chapters.

Ms. Brown's most-praised strength is her talent as a teacher. She has been credited with making "writing a disaster plan sound like fun as well as absolutely the most important task an institution needs to accomplish." Of the year-long preservation management course Ms. Brown co-taught at NEDCC, one graduate says: "It was one of the best experience I've had in my short library career, thanks in great part to Karen's efforts."

Brown is a member of Beta Phi Mu, the American Library Association, the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators, and the American Institute for Conservation. She frequently gives presentations and workshops covering such topics as disaster preparedness and preservation management; and she has taught everyone from the Connecticut Town Clerks Association to the Bermuda Government Archives staff. Her most recent publication is the Association for Research Libraries SPEC Kit Integrating Preservation Activities that she co-authored with Emily Holmes.

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Presidential Citations

The citations were read by ALCTS President Olivia Madison, and presented to the recipients by Past President Bill Robnett and Incoming President Brian Schottlaender.

PRESIDENTIAL CITATION to John Attig -

"In recognition of his leadership in the transformation of the communication processes for AACR2 rule revision, enabling CC:DA to focus on content rather than mechanics; for his contributions to cataloging and his dedicated service on CC:DA; and for the example he has set of hard work, generosity, and passion within ALCTS and our professional community."

John Attig is Monograph Cataloging Librarian, Cataloging Services, at Pennsylvania State University.

PRESIDENTIAL CITATION to Laura and William Sill -

"In recognition of their technical and creative work in building a database infrastructure to support the maintenance of the Division's Strategic and Tactical Plan. The database facilitates tactical planning initiatives from conception through implementation. It ensures that the ALCTS leadership has access to more precise management information with which to guide the Division's business activities."

Laura Sill is Systems Librarian, and William Sill is Senior Technical Support Consultant/Analyst in University Libraries, at Notre Dame University.

PRESIDENTIAL CITATION to Ann Swartzell -

"In recognition of her excellent leadership and enthusiasm as chair of the ALCTS Organization & Bylaws Committee, particularly through the discussions and documentation of the proposed bylaws changes involving interest groups. Even with these extensive time commitments to the division she has contributed greatly to the leadership and programs of the Preservation and Reformatting Section."

Ann Swartzell is Senior Preservation Program Officer at Harvard University.

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