Richard K. Gardner to receive ACRL Presidential Award
Contact: Mary Ellen Davis
Executive Director, ACRL
312-280-3248
For Immediate Release
June 16, 2005
Richard K. Gardner to receive ACRL Presidential Award
CHICAGO -- The Association of College & Research Libraries' (ACRL) President Frances J. Maloy will present Richard K. Gardner, founding editor of
CHOICE magazine, with a Special Presidential Recognition Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the association and the library profession during his career. The award will be presented during the 2005 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Chicago at the ACRL President's Program on Monday, June 27, 2005, at the Hilton Chicago Hotel.
Within one year of his appointment as editor on July 1, 1963, Gardner successfully hired staff, set up an editorial office, established working relationships with publishers, and designed, edited, and oversaw publication of the inaugural issue of
CHOICE, which debuted in March 1964. Gardner served as editor of
CHOICE from 1963 to 1966 and again from 1972 to 1977, where he established the editorial policies and practices that continue to guide
CHOICE 's success to this day.
Gardner's published contributions to the field of academic librarianship include “ Library Collections: Their Origin, Selection and Development” (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1981), which received the Blackwell Scholarship Award in 1982, and “ Education of Library and Information Professionals: Present and Future Prospects” (Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1987).
Gardner's academic librarianship career includes distinguished service at institutions such as Marietta College, Case Western Reserve, University of Montreal, and UCLA, including his appointment as professor titulaire and director of the Ecole de Bibliotheconomie of the University of Montreal.
In 1991, Gardner was declared a distinguished alumnus by Case Western Reserve and in 1993 received the Medal of Honor from the University of Montreal.
ACRL, a division of the American Library Association, represents 13,000 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 and research libraries play in the teaching, learning and research environments.
Founded in 1964, CHOICE is a publishing unit of ACRL. The leading academic review journal, CHOICE is best known for its print and electronic publications,
CHOICE Magazine and ChoiceReviews.online. Each year CHOICE publishes more than 6,500 concise, critical, expert reviews of new scholarly books and electronic sources in fields that extend across the entire college curriculum.
