Maxwell's 'Handbook' wins ALCTS Outstanding Publication Award

For Immediate Release
Tue, 03/03/2015

Contact:

Christine McConnell

Communication Specialist

Association for Library Collections & Technical Services

312 280 5037

cmcconnell@ala.org

CHICAGO — The recipient of the 2015 Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) Outstanding Publication Award is Robert L. Maxwell for his book Maxwell’s Handbook for RDA: Explaining and Illustrating RDA: Resource Description and Access Using MARC 21 (Chicago: ALA Editions, 2013).

The Outstanding Publication Award is given annually to honor the author or authors of the year's outstanding monograph, article or original paper in the field of technical services, including acquisitions, cataloging, collection management, preservation, continuing resources and related areas in the library field. Robert L. Maxwell will receive a citation and a $250 monetary award at the ALCTS Awards Ceremony on June 27 during the 2015 ALA Annual Conference and Exposition in San Francisco.

Maxwell’s Handbook for RDA is a comprehensive guide to the practical application of the evolving new code. In the book, Maxwell describes the underlying theoretical framework of the philosophical shift from AACR2 to RDA and provides detailed explanations for the guidelines. The addition of full cataloging examples to illustrate specific elements of the code complete the handbook. Due in large part to the all-inclusive nature of the book, it has been described as a “landmark work” and as such is invaluable to new and experienced catalogers alike.

Maxwell is a senior librarian and special collections and ancient languages cataloger at the Brigham Young University’s, Harold B. Lee Library. He holds an MLS from the University of Arizona, a JD from Brigham Young University and a PhD in classical languages and literatures from the University of Toronto. He has published extensively on cataloging and is a members of ALA’s Committee on Cataloging: Description and Access, the body responsible for developing official ALA positions on AACR2 and RDA.

ALCTS is the national association for information providers who work in collections and technical services, such as acquisitions, cataloging, metadata, collection management, preservation, electronic and continuing resources. ALCTS is a division of the American Library Association.