Michael Clegg named 2005 Genealogical Publishing Co./History Section Award recipient

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For Immediate Release:


March 10, 2005

Michael Clegg named 2005 Genealogical Publishing Co./History Section Award recipient

CHICAGO —Michael Barren Clegg, branch operations manager, Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne (Ind.), is the 2005 recipient of the Genealogical Publishing Co./History Section Award presented by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

The award consists of $1,500 and a citation donated by The Genealogical Publishing Company and is given to encourage, recognize and commend professional achievement in historical reference and research librarianship.

“Michael Clegg has been active in genealogy and genealogy librarianship since the late 1970s,” stated Mary Mannix, award committee chair. “All of Michael’s accomplishments, of which there are many, pale in comparison to his crucial role as the creator and senior executive editor of the ‘Periodical Source Index (PERSI),’ the largest subject index to genealogical and historical periodical articles in the world.”

Mannix added, “In the world of history librarianship, being the father of PERSI is similar to being the father of ‘Medline’ or the ‘Readers Guide to Periodical Literature.’ There is nothing comparable to PERSI. History librarianship owes an incredible debt of gratitude to Michael Clegg. His work truly changed the way genealogy and local history librarians interact with an important type of reference source and thus greatly increased the level of service we can offer our patrons.”

The award will be presented at RUSA Awards Ceremony on June 27, 2005, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., during the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.