2002 Atkinson winner announced

Contact: Stephanie Sherrod


312-280-2515

For Immediate Release


May 21, 2002

2002 Atkinson winner announced

Harold W. Billings, director of libraries at the University of Texas at Austin, has been named the 2002 winner of the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award. Billings will receive $2000 and a citation.

Named in honor of one of the pioneers of library automation, the Atkinson Award recognizes an academic librarian who has made significant contributions in the area of library automation or management, and has made notable improvements in library services or research.

"Harold Billings' long commitment to innovation in automation, resource sharing and creative management all contributed to his selection by the Hugh Atkinson Memorial Award Committee," said Chair Diane Graves. "He has been professionally active, and has supported efforts at both the state and national level to encourage resource sharing and cooperative collection development."

Graves also noted that Billings was an early proponent of OCLC as a resource-sharing tool in the southwestern United States and he has led the automation movement by encouraging the development of an interactive search tool for UTCAT. In addition, Billings has pioneered innovative job-sharing and research work assignments for his staff of nearly 600, provided leadership in the development of TexShare, a state-funded program which provides electronic resources to a consortium of more than 600 academic and public libraries in Texas, and supports enhanced ILL services.

The Hugh C. Atkinson Award is jointly sponsored by four divisions of the American Library Association, including the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Library Administration and Management Association, the Library and Information Technology Association, and the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services.