Park wins Jesse H. Shera Award for Distinguished Published Research

CHICAGO — The Library Research Round Table (LRRT) of the American Library Association (ALA) is pleased to announce Sung Jae Park as the winner of the Jesse H. Shera Award for Distinguished Published Research for the article, “Measuring Public Library Accessibility: A Case Study Using GIS,” published in Library & Information Research 34(2012): 13-21, December 2011.

Park’s article provided a well-defined research question, detailed explanation of the research methods and a coherent and thoughtful discussion of the results. Park's work stood out because of its great significance to both current and future issues in library and information science, as well as future considerations in the profession. 

"Measuring Public Library Accessibility" considers the role of distance and travel patterns in accessing public libraries by looking at actual travel routes, including roads and geographical landmarks, instead of considering distance in terms of straight lines. The research provides an important point of view when considering the barriers to accessibility.

LRRT was founded in 1968 to contribute toward the extension and improvement of library research by providing public program opportunities for describing and evaluating library research projects and for disseminating their findings.  LRRT is dedicated to informing and educating ALA members regarding research techniques and their usefulness in obtaining information.  The information must help users reach administrative decisions and solve problems and expand the theoretical base of the field by serving as a forum for discussion and action on issues related to the literature and information needs for the field of library and information science.

For more information on the Library Research Round Table and the awards, please visit http://www.ala.org/lrrt.  

Jesse H Shera Awards Committee

Lisa Hussey, Simmons College (CHAIR)

Diane Velasquez, University of South Australia

Linda Most, Valdosta University

Jennifer Campbell Meier, University of Alabama