Reference Service Press Award recipients named
Contact: Eileen Hardy
RUSA
Marketing Specialist
312-280-4398
For Immediate Release
March 7, 2006
Reference Service Press Award recipients named
CHICAGO—Denise Beaubien Bennett and Pamela S. Cenzer—reference librarians at the Marston Science Library—and Paul Kirk, reference staff at the Journalism Library, University of Florida at Gainesville, are the 2006 co-recipients of the Reference Service Press Award for the article, “A Class Assignment Requiring Chat Based Reference,” presented by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).
The award, a plaque and $2,500 donated by Reference Service Press, is given to the author of the most outstanding article published in
Reference and User Services Quarterly (RUSQ), RUSA’s quarterly journal, during the preceding two-volume years.
“The article was well documented and included an excellent literature review, with the background of the case study well described, readable and comprehensive,” said Susan J. Beck, award committee chair. “It describes the differences between dealing with personal requests versus an assignment in a chat reference service environment and coalesces instruction and virtual reference that enhances staff training.”
“The award committee selected the article based on its timeliness and relevancy to the current issues facing reference librarianship today. It resonates with library practitioners and is useful for all types of libraries.”
The award will be presented at RUSA Awards Ceremony on June 26, 2006, from 4 to 6 p.m., during the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans.