GODORT Award Winners

The James Bennett Childs Award honors individuals who have made a lifetime and significant contribution to the field of government documents librarianship through stature, service, and publication.

The recipients of the 2025 James Bennett Childs Award are Katrina Stierholz and Jim Noël. The Childs Award is a tribute to individuals who have made a lifetime and significant contribution to the field of documents librarianship, based on stature, service, and publication.

Katrina Stierholz has led preservation and access efforts for critical economic and financial government data through her work at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Under her leadership, resources such as FRASER, FRED, and ALFRED have become vital tools for researchers, policymakers, and the public. Her contributions to government data literacy and access will have a lasting impact on the field.

Jim Noel has dedicated over three decades to enhancing public access to government information through his work at MARCIVE, Inc. His leadership in improving the cataloging and discoverability of federal government documents has made an enduring difference for libraries across the nation. Jim’s long-standing support for depository libraries and involvement with GODORT reflect a deep commitment to the mission of government information accessibility.

GODORT is awarding federal recipients of the 2025 Bernadine Abbott Hoduski Founders Award, which recognizes documents librarians who might not be known at the national level but have made significant contributions to the field of state, international, local, or federal documents.

This year, the Awards Committee selected two federal document recipients: Jenny McBurney and Sara Westdal of the University of Minnesota.

Jenny and Sara are recognized for their work in preserving access to government information during an administrative transition. Through their efforts to document disappearing data and improve access to archived federal information, they have enhanced the profession’s ability to navigate and preserve essential resources. Their work reflects a major contribution to the field that benefits not only their institution but the broader library community.

The ProQuest/GODORT/ALA “Documents to the People” Award recognizes an individual, library, or institution that has most effectively encouraged the use of government documents in support of library services.

Lauren Hall, Government Information Librarian at California State University, Stanislaus, is the recipient of the 2025 ProQuest/GODORT/ALA “Documents to the People” Award, which honors those who most effectively encourage the use of government documents in library services. Lauren’s dynamic outreach through LibGuides, displays, and instruction has significantly expanded engagement with government information among students, faculty, and the broader campus community. Her dedication to promoting access and literacy around government resources exemplifies the spirit of this award.

The GODORT Preservation Grant supports library work associated with preserving government information in all formats and from all levels of government to sustain current and future access.

The inaugural 2025 GODORT Preservation Grant is awarded to Middle Tennessee State University for its project: Distilling, Fermenting, and Brewing Collection Government Document Preservation and Access Project.

As a GPO Preservation Steward, Middle Tennessee State University has demonstrated a strong commitment to the care and long-term accessibility of federal government documents. Their project involves conservation treatment, reclassification, inventory reconciliation, and the creation of custom enclosures for historically significant materials. It also provides a valuable educational opportunity by involving a graduate intern and plans to share results through publication. This initiative aligns closely with the goals of the GODORT Preservation Grant to preserve and enhance access to government information collections for future generations. Susan Martin, Special Collections Librarian at Middle Tennessee State University Library, submitted the proposal on behalf of the institution.

The ALA Emerging Leaders Program is a leadership development initiative for early-career library professionals, designed to provide networking opportunities, hands-on project experience, and pathways into professional leadership.

Aaron M. Wilson, Serials/Government Information Cataloging Librarian at the University of Maryland–College Park, is the 2025 GODORT Sponsored Emerging Leader. In addition to his participation in the Emerging Leaders Program, Aaron has taken an active leadership role within GODORT as Chair of the Education Committee, where he is leading the revision of the Voting and Elections Toolkits—vital resources for civic literacy. As part of his Emerging Leaders project team, Aaron is also contributing to the creation of a toolkit on Black perspectives during the Founding Era for the 250th anniversary of the United States. The project includes educational materials, discussion guides, and interactive resources to expand public understanding of historical narratives.

The David Rozkuszka Scholarship provides financial assistance to an individual who is currently working with government documents in a library and is completing a master’s degree in library science. This award, established in 1994, is named after David Rozkuszka, former Documents Librarian at Stanford University.

Sylvia Amber Cotten, an MLIS student at the University of Maryland–College Park, is the recipient of the 2025 W. David Rozkuszka Scholarship. Sylvia’s academic and professional experiences reflect a deep dedication to the preservation and accessibility of government information. Her undergraduate thesis explored how archival newspaper sources depicted Indigenous communities in the context of U.S. boarding schools, work that underscores the critical importance of access to historical government documents. Sylvia plans to pursue a career focused on government information librarianship, advocating for transparency, preservation, and equitable access to public records and historical materials.