Jeanne Drewes receives the 2012 Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship

CHICAGO - Jeanne Drewes, chief of binding and collections Care/manager mass deacidification in the Preservation Directorate at the Library of Congress, has been selected by the American Library Association (ALA) as the 2012 winner of the Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship.

The Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship is an annual award that honors an individual for contributing significantly to the public recognition and appreciation of librarianship through professional performance, teaching and/or writing. The statement of nomination for Jeanne Drewes noted that “she has a strong civic minded disposition and has proven to be a tireless public advocate for preservation.” 

Jeanne Drewes’ work includes significant outreach to the general public. She played a lead role in the success of ALA Preservation Week, a national, ALA-sponsored campaign initiated in 2010 to raise awareness of the libraries’ role in connecting the general public to preservation information and expertise. Her leadership on the project was much appreciated. As one nomination letter stated, “Ms. Drewes is a genuine leader, providing clear purpose and vision to inspire people to accomplish new and challenging undertakings.”

Jeanne Drewes has been a champion of preservation for more than 20 years, demonstrating her interest in educating colleagues and the public about a wide array of topics related to the field. In 1997 Drewes co-edited and contributed to "Promoting Preservation Awareness in Libraries: A Sourcebook for Academic, Public, School, and Special Collections," an important addition to the literature on preservation. The work was named “The Year’s Best Professional Reading” in 1998 by Library Journal and was distributed to over 2,500 institutions through the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf initiative.

The preservation work of Jeanne Drewes is international in scope. In the late 1990s, she organized shipments of library and book repair supplies to Cuba, gathered conservators to assist in the project and oversaw the translation of how-to manuals that assisted librarians. After completing this groundbreaking work she shared her experiences through publications and presentations.

“Ms. Drewes was selected as the 2012 Haycock award winner in recognition of her teaching and service that demonstrates her advocacy efforts on behalf of public preservation projects at the local, nation and international level. Her leadership, encouragement, outreach to libraries and ability to enthusiastically engage others in working towards a common purpose has made a significant impact on publicly promoting the practices and principles of preservation,” said Cathy Martyniak, 2012 jury chair.

Members of the 2011 Haycock Award committee are: Chair, Cathleen Martyniak, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.; Nancy Bolt, Golden, Colo.; Barbara Burd, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, S.C.; Jennifer Paustenbaugh, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla.; and Amy Roberson, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas.

The annual award, consisting of $1,000 and a citation of achievement, will be presented at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif. in June.  Ms. Drewes plans to continue her advocacy for Preservation Week by investigating how other national library associations promote preservation and by sharing how the American Library Association is growing Preservation Week events.

The deadline for submission of nominations for the 2013 Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship is Dec. 1. Guidelines and the nomination form are available on the ALA website.