Daniel Boyd wins 2010 ASCLA award for contributions to blind, physically handicapped

CHICAGO— Daniel W. Boyd, who from 1981 to 2008 served as the director of the South Dakota Braille and Talking Book Library, will receive the 2010 Francis Joseph Campbell Award.

The award, which consists of a medal and a citation, is administered by the Library Services to People with Visual or Physical Disabilities Forum (LSPVDF) within the Libraries Serving Special Populations Section (LSSPS) of the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), and is made possible with sponsorship support from Keystone Automated Library Systems (KLAS) and the Southern Conference of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS/BPH), Library of Congress. Winners of this award are selected for their outstanding contributions to the advancement of library service for the blind and physically handicapped.

Boyd receives this honor in recognition of his advocacy and leadership in promoting literacy and accessibility to students with print disabilities. He created a nationally recognized program for the production of alternative format textbooks through a partnership with the South Dakota State Penitentiary and Federal prison system. Entitled “Pheasantland Industries,” this program produces Braille and large-print text books, trains inmates to become Library of Congress certified Braille transcribers and provides tactile graphics to Braille transcribers nationwide. Boyd has also shared his experience and knowledge of Braille production in correctional institutions with librarians throughout the country at numerous workshops and presentations and has also served as an ex-officio trustee of the American Printing House for the Blind. In addition, he has been a tireless advocate for accessible textbooks, creating a national listserv for libraries to exchange information about loaning accessible textbooks.

The award will be presented to Boyd at the ASCLA/COSLA dessert reception, which will be held 8-10 p.m. in the Bridge Rooms at the Grand Hyatt Washington, 14th and K Streets NW, Washington, D.C. The awards presentation will begin at 8:30p.m. All conference participants are invited to this reception and awards event, which is an excellent opportunity for networking and meeting many of the library industry’s leaders. A complete list of ASCLA events at Annual Conference is available as a downloadable guide (PDF).

ASCLA, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is a diverse organization of librarians and support staff who work in academic and public libraries, state agencies, specialized libraries and multi-type cooperatives, as well as those who are self-employed. Not an ASCLA member, but interested in discounted registration rates on conference, ASCLA preconferences and other ASCLA events? Join, renew or add ASCLA to your ALA membership at www.ala.org/membership.