Ching-chih Chen receives 2008 Beta Phi Mu Award
Contact: Cheryl Malden
Program Officer
(312) 280-3247
cmalden@ala.org
For Immediate Release,
March 18, 2008
Ching-chih Chen receives 2008 Beta Phi Mu Award
CHICAGO - Dr. Ching-chih Chen, professor of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Simmons College, has been selected as the recipient of the American Library Association's 2008 Beta Phi Mu Award. This annual award, donated by the Beta Phi Mu International Library Science Honorary Society, is presented to a library school faculty member or to an individual for distinguished service to education in librarianship.
Dr. Chen received a B.A. from National Taiwan University, an A.M.L.S. from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University. She held professional positions at the University of Michigan, M.I.T. and three Canadian libraries before joining the faculty at Simmons. The recipient of numerous fellowships and distinguished service awards, Dr. Chen has received major awards from the American Association for Higher Education, Association for Library and Information Education, American Society for Information Science and Technology and from the American Library Association, including the LITA/Gaylord Award for Achievement in Library and Information Technology, the LITA/Library High Tech Award and the LITA/OCLC Kilgour Award, to name just a few. In June 2006, she was awarded the International Peace Prize from the United Cultural Convention of the USA. She was elected to Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1985 and served as a member of US President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (1997-2002). A consultant and speaker in more than 40 countries, Dr. Chen is the author/editor of more than 35 books and more than 200 journal articles and produced an award-winning interactive videodisc and multimedia CD,
The First Emperor of China. In addition to her teaching duties, Dr. Chen has advocated the concept of a world digital library since 1993 and is the creator of the ongoing
Global Memory Net digital image library, supported by the National Science Foundation's International Digital Library Project and launched for universal access in 2006. Currently in partnership with the UNESCO World Heritage Center, she is also developing the
World Heritage Memory Net.
“In selecting Dr. Chen for this award, the Jury commended her for her excellence as a devoted teacher and mentor; her outstanding and far-reaching service to education for librarianship worldwide; her amazing publishing, presenting and grants record; her vision and innovation in developing
Global Memory Net as part of her ongoing commitment to global partnerships to advance knowledge and share information; and her using her professional skills to cross from the library world into scientific, governmental and cultural arenas all over the planet,” said Eric W. Johnson, library director at Southeastern Louisiana University, Sims Memorial Library. “The Jury was unanimous in its praise of the breadth and scope of her activities, her support for and guidance of her students in helping them achieve their professional and intellectual goals and her profound impact on the field of global librarianship.”
The annual award, consisting of $1000 and a citation of achievement, will be presented at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif., in June.
Members of the 2008 Beta Phi Mu Award are: Eric W. Johnson, chair, Southeastern Louisiana University, Sims Memorial Library, La.; Carl A. Antonucci, Capitol Community College, Conn.; Patricia Gail Oyler, Simmons College GSLIS, Mass.; Angela W. Williams, Syracuse University, N.Y.; Charlotte C. Xanders, California State University, Sacramento Library, Calif.
The deadline for submission of applications for the 2008 Beta Phi Mu is Dec. 1. Guidelines and application forms are available on the ALA Web site:
http://www.ala.org/ala/awardsbucket/betaphimuaward/betaphimuaward.htm.
