Ulrich's Serials Librarianship Award to Valerie Bross

CHICAGO - The Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) has named Valerie Bross the 2012 recipient of the Ulrich’s Serials Librarianship Award. This award for distinguished contributions to serials, presented by the Continuing Resources Section of ALCTS, consists of a citation and $1,500 donated by ProQuest through its Serials Solutions business unit.

Valerie Bross, head of the continuing resources cataloging section at the UCLA Library Cataloging & Metadata Center, was named for innumerable significant achievements. Her exceptional and distinguished contributions to the field of serials librarianship have included a consistent and wide-ranging role in the development and testing of cataloging standards, including influential work on no fewer than 13 PCC/CONSER task forces. She was cited for her prominent leadership in the cooperative cataloging community, not only as representative of her own institution on the CONSER Operations Committee and as member and frequent chair or co-chair of its working groups, but also as first coordinator of the highly successful University of California CONSER Funnel Project, which extended training and widened opportunity for participation among the campuses that had not been independent members of CONSER. This model provided a template for the subsequent development of a geographically dispersed CONSER Funnel program among member libraries of ATLA (the American Theological Libraries Association ).

Bross has shown exceptional leadership in the field of cataloger training, providing guidance, support, content and testing for much wider use of online tools and webinars for serials cataloger training and continuing education. She co-chaired (with Jennifer Young of Northwestern) the ALCTS-CRCC-sponsored RDA Testing Task Force, expanding the number of partners with serials expertise involved in testing the new cataloging code.

Bross combines a consistent and career-long profile as an early adopter, tester and trainer in the use of new tools and technologies, with an uncanny ability to convey to others her enthusiasm for learning and mastering new skills. One of the letters supporting her nomination writes “many people have expertise, but few people have her tireless energy and enthusiasm.” Her exceptional participation in the setting of industry standards, in the modernization of training for serials catalogers and ongoing contributions to professional organizations set her apart as a creative leader in our discipline.

The Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) is the national association for information providers who work in collection and technical services, such as acquisitions, cataloging, collection development, preservation, and continuing resources in digital and print formats.

ALCTS is a division of the American Library Association.