Beta Phi Mu Award recipient named
Contact: Cheryl Malden
312-280-3247
For Immediate Release
April 24, 2003
Beta Phi Mu Award recipient named
Kathleen de la Peña McCook, distinguished professor, University of South Florida, Tampa, school of library and information science, is the 2003 recipient of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Beta Phi Mu Award.
The award, $500 and a citation, sponsored by the Beta Phi Mu International Library Science Honorary Society, is presented to a library school faculty member or an individual for distinguished service in library education.
“Kathleen is recognized for her distinguished service to education for librarianship, for her exemplary performance as a faculty member at University of South Florida; and for her vocation and her avocation in life that strongly supports and facilitates teaching students the principles of library and information science,” said Chair Charles Kratz.
McCook is noted for her long career as a library educator and administrator.
She has shown that education must interface with the community. As a proponent of diversity and equity within the profession, McCook was one of the leaders in the founding of the ALA Spectrum scholarships for minority students.
She has authored numerous publications with equity and diversity themes including
A Place at the Table: Participating in Community Building, Library Services to Youth of Hispanic Heritage, and Women of Color in Librarianship.
McCook has initiated library-sponsored food and toy drives for migrant workers and their families.
She has served on REFORMA’s board of directors and the former chair to the Trejo Foster Foundation’s Hispanic Library Education.
McCook is an active and long-standing ALA member.
She has won numerous awards including ALA’s Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change Award in 1998 and ALA’s Equality Award in 1987.
In 1999,
McCook was recognized as one of 20 distinguished professionals by Beta Phi Mu, the international library and information science honorary society upon the occasion of its 50
th anniversary.
McCook holds a B.A. from University of Illinois at Chicago, a M.A. in English from Marquette University, a M.A. in library science from University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in library science from University of Wisconsin at Madison.
The Beta Phi Mu Award will be presented Tuesday,
June 24, during the ALA/CLA joint Annual Conference in Toronto.
