2005 Hugh C. Atkinson award winner announced
Contact: Megan Bielefeld
ACRL Program Coordinator
312-280-2514
For Immediate Release
February 18, 2005
2005 Hugh C. Atkinson award winner announced
CHICAGO - Paul M. Gherman, university librarian at Vanderbilt University, has been named the 2005 winner of the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award.
Gherman will receive $2,000 and a citation during the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, at the Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA) President's Program on Sunday, June 26, 2005, at 1:30 p.m.
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.
"Throughout his career as a librarian, Paul Gherman has been an innovator and a risk taker," said James L. Mullins, award committee chair.
"From Virginia Tech to Kenyon College to Vanderbilt University, Paul was always on the cutting edge in his exploration of ideas and opportunities on how to effectively utilize technology to provide better access to information.
Without exception, the profession adopted his concepts.
"In the late 1980's, Paul was instrumental while at Virginia Tech in developing the Scholarly Communications Project, a forerunner to publishing on the Internet," said Mullins.
"While at Virginia Tech he was also a leader in the Blacksburg Electronic Village Project, a precursor to the World Wide Web.
In 1999, Paul wrote a seminal article that outlined a new publishing model that has since morphed into the open publishing initiative.
Most recently at Vanderbilt University, Paul has been instrumental in advocating and assessing the issues that surround 'a virtual storage collection.' If put into practice, libraries could weed collections of rarely used items, yet be assured that an archive copy would be held permanently in a designated 'repository.'"
"I am deeply honored to receive the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award and join the ranks of outstanding library leaders who were honored in the past," said Gherman.
"Many librarians and staff made my success possible by their dedicated and creative efforts to create and nurture the 'commons' that is the hallmark of our profession."
Before becoming university librarian at Vanderbilt University in 1996, Gherman was the director of libraries at Kenyon College (1992-96), university librarian at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (1985-92), assistant director for administrative services at Iowa State University (1977-85), personnel officer of the University Libraries at The Pennsylvania State University (1972-74), and served as acting head of the Humanities Division at Wayne State University (1971-72).
Gherman received his M.A.L.S. from the University of Michigan and earned his B.A. from Wayne State University.
The Hugh C. Atkinson Award is jointly sponsored by four divisions of the American Library Association: the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), LAMA, Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), and the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS).
The award is funded from an endowment established to honor Hugh C. Atkinson.
Donations to the endowment may be sent to Megan Bielefeld, 50 East Huron St., Chicago, Ill. 60611.
