Beta Phi Mu Award recipient named

Contact: Cheryl Malden


312-280-3247

ALA News Release


For Immediate Release


May 2001

Beta Phi Mu Award recipient named

Lotsee Patterson, professor at the graduate school of library and information science at University of Oklahoma, Norman, is the 2001 recipient of the American Library Association (ALA) Beta Phi Mu Award.

The award, $500 and a citation, is sponsored by the Beta Phi Mu International Library Science Honorary Society and is presented to a library school faculty member or individual for distinguished service in library education.

"Dr. Patterson was selected to receive the 2001 Beta Phi Mu Award for being the foremost proponent of Native American libraries through training programs, for securing funding through the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA), for co-chairing the second Native American pre-conference to the White House Conference on Library and Information Services (WHCLIS) and for consulting," Chair of the Beta Phi Mu Award Jury Bill Wilson said. "Dr. Patterson is one of the founders of the American Indian Library Association and was its president from 1981 to 1984. She also has written numerous books, articles and conference presentations."

Patterson is an active member of ALA, serving on numerous committees and was a member of Council. She also is a member of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the Library Administration & Management Association (LAMA).

Patterson has won several awards including the ALA Equality Award in 1994 for outstanding contribution toward promoting equality in the library profession.

She holds a bachelor's degree from Oklahoma College for Women and a master's in library science and a doctorate from University of Oklahoma.

The Beta Phi Mu Award will be presented Tuesday, June 19, during the ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco.