Patricia Iannuzzi named 2013 ACRL Academic/ Research Librarian of the Year

CHICAGO — Patricia Iannuzzi, dean of university libraries at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), is the 2013 Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL) Academic/Research Librarian of the Year. The award, sponsored by YBP Library Services, recognizes an outstanding member of the library profession who has made a significant national or international contribution to academic/research librarianship and library development.

Iannuzzi will receive a $5,000 award at 4 p.m. on Wed., April 10, 2013, during the ACRL 2013 conference opening keynote session in Indianapolis.

“Patricia Iannuzzi’s distinguished career as a librarian and educator has been marked by her dedication to information literacy and student learning, and by her passionate advocacy for academic libraries through developing outcomes-based standards for measuring their value in higher education,” noted David D. Oberhelman, chair of the ACRL Academic/Research Librarian of the Year Award Committee and professor in the Oklahoma State University Library Humanities-Social Sciences Division. “We are thrilled to honor her with this award for her remarkable ability to effect positive change, for as they say at the UNLV Libraries, ‘Patty will kick down the doors, so be ready to walk through them!’”

“I am honored to be recognized by ACRL for my work in academic libraries and higher education,” said Iannuzzi. “To have fellow librarians, leaders in higher education and library staff support me for this award is truly humbling. Librarians have the privilege to build upon the work of earlier generations as we nurture and support the next generation. For all those who have contributed to my professional career, thank you. I am truly humbled to be part of the prestigious group selected before me, but just as honored to be part of a legacy of collaboration and achievement in academic libraries and the larger higher education community for our colleagues who follow. ”

Over the course of her career, Iannuzzi has been a national and international leader on, and advocate for, information literacy and student learning issues in higher education. By chairing the recent task force resulting in a major revision of the ACRL Standards for Libraries in Higher Education and the committee that developed the seminal ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, she has served a pivotal role in establishing a standards-based, outcomes-driven framework for both library assessment and instruction efforts. Through her vision and gifts for integrative inquiry, thinking and action, Iannuzzi has been a leader in efforts to make information literacy a meaningful educational goal and to ensure that libraries are part of the focus on learning outcomes that is occurring across higher education. As a result of her efforts, leadership and example, Iannuzzi has served as a mentor and inspiration for many in the academic and research library community.

Her distinguished record of service to the library profession includes chairing both the ACRL Task Force on Standards for Libraries in Higher Education (2009-2011) and the ACRL Task Force on Information Literacy Competency Standards (1999-2001), along with co-chairing the AASL/ACRL Joint Task Force on the Educational Role of Libraries (1998-2000). Iannuzzi additionally served ACRL as a member of the association’s Value of Academic Libraries Committee (2011-2012). Iannuzzi also served as a faculty member in the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Greater Expectations Institute (2006- 2011), a member of the Greater Western Library Alliance Board of Directors (2010-present) and on the ALA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Partnerships (2000 -2002). She received the ACRL Instruction Section Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian Award in 2001.

Iannuzzi has presented on information literacy issues, undergraduate education, faculty-library collaborations and more at a wide range of conferences including the AAC&U Greater Expectations Institute, LOEX of the West, LILAC: Libraries Information Literacy Annual Conference, Music Library Association and the ALA Annual Conference. She has also served as a consultant on issues including information literacy, curriculum design and budgeting for a variety of institutions. Iannuzzi’s publications include "Reforming the Undergraduate Experience" in New Directions in Teaching and Learning (with Diane VanderPol and Jeanne Brown, 2008), "Focus: Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education” in Community and Junior College Libraries (2000) and "Faculty Development and Information Literacy: Establishing Campus Partnerships” in RSR: Reference Services Review (1998).

Prior to joining UNLV in 2005, Iannuzzi served as associate university librarian and director of the Doe/ Moffitt Libraries (2000-2005) and interim director of collections (2002-2005) at the University of California- Berkeley, head of the reference department and co-director of the information literacy initiative at Florida International University (1991-2000) and in a variety of positions at the University of Miami, Yale University and Tufts University.

Iannuzzi received her B.A. in Psychology from Yale University in 1976 and her M.S. from the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science in 1981.

The award dates back to 1978, and recent award winners include Paula T. Kaufman (2012); Janice Welburn (2011); Maureen Sullivan (2010); Gloriana St. Clair (2009); Peter Hernon (2008); Lizabeth (Betsy) Wilson (2007); Ray English (2006); Ravindra Nath (R. N.) Sharma (2005); Tom Kirk (2004); Ross Atkinson, (2003); Shelley Phipps (2002) and Larry Hardesty (2001).

More information regarding the ACRL Academic/Research Librarian of the Year award, along with a complete list of past recipients, is available on the ACRL website.

About ACRL

ACRL is a division of the American Library Association (ALA), representing more than 11,500 academic and research librarians and interested individuals. ACRL is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products and services to meet the unique needs of academic and research librarians. Its initiatives enable the higher education community to understand the role that academic libraries play in the teaching, learning and research environments. ACRL is on the Web at http://www.acrl.org/, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ala.acrl and Twitter at @ala_acrl.

About YBP Library Services

YBP Library Services, a Baker & Taylor company, provides books and supporting collection management and technical services to academic, research and special libraries in the Americas, Asia, Middle East, Australia and the Pacific Rim. GOBI³, YBP's acquisition and collection development interface, provides access to more than 10 million titles. YBP is located in Contoocook, NH, USA. For more on the company, visit www.ybp.com.