Francis Joseph Campbell Award recipients named

Eileen Hardy


Marketing Specialist


312-280-4398


ehardy@ala.org
For Immediate Release


March 17, 2005

Francis Joseph Campbell Award recipients named

CHICAGO—Judith M. Dixon, consumer relations officer, and Wells B. Kormann, chief, Materials Development Division, of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library of Congress, are the recipients of the 2005 Francis Joseph Campbell Award.

The honor, which consists of a citation and medal, is presented to a library or person who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of library service for the blind and physically handicapped. The Library Service to People with Visual or Physical Disabilities Forum, of the Libraries Serving Special Populations Section of the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), presents the award.

“Judith Dixon has been an advocate for access to printed information through the widest possible use of special formats-tape, Braille, large print adaptive technology, the Internet, e-books digital audio and emerging technologies,” said Barbara Mates, Francis Joseph Campbell award committee member on behalf of the chair. “She truly exemplifies the mission of access, empowerment, and advocacy.”

“Wells Kormann was selected for the crucial role he played in establishing groundwork for the digital future of talking books and for his innate ability to work with a large and diverse national volunteer force for the good of the program,” said Mates. “He has the unique ability to squeeze the most out of time and money for the betterment of the program.”

The award is named for Francis Joseph Campbell (1832-1914), an American who lost his sight at the age of five. He was the music director at the Wisconsin School for the Blind and the Perkins Institution for the Blind. Campbell also was instrumental in the founding of the Royal National College for the Blind, and was knighted by King Edward VII of England.

The award will be presented June 26, 2005, from 8:30 to 10 a.m., at the ASCLA President’s Program and Award Ceremony, “Advocacy Is Not Enough – Using Evidence-Based Outcome Measures to Demonstrate Library Impact,” during the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.