Ross Atkinson Lifetime Achievement Award to Peggy Johnson

Contact: Charles Wilt
Executive Director, ALCTS
312-280-5030
cwilt@ala.org

NEWS
For Immediate Release,
February 23, 2010

CHICAGO-Peggy Johnson, associate university librarian for access services at the University of Minnesota libraries, is the recipient of the 2010 Ross Atkinson Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is sponsored by EBSCO Information Services and honors the recipient with $3,000 and a citation. Johnson will receive her award at the ALCTS Awards Ceremony, Sunday, June 27, during the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

The Ross Atkinson Lifetime Achievement Award honors the memory of Ross Atkinson, a distinguished library leader, author and scholar whose extraordinary service to the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) and the library community-at-large serves as a model for those in the field.

Peggy Johnson has served ALCTS in many capacities during her career from committee chair to president. She currently serves as a member of the Directors of Large Research Libraries Technical Services Discussion Group, as the chair of the Library Resources & Technical Services (LRTS) Editorial Board, and on the ALCTS Publication Committee. She served as the President of ALCTS (1999-2000) and as a member-at-large of the ALCTS Board of Directors (1995-1998). Prior to engaging in her division level activities, Peggy was very active in the Collection Management and Development Section. Peggy has published seven books, including the ALA Editions best seller, “Fundamentals of Collection Development & Management,” and has written numerous book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals. Peggy’s publications deal with issues of interest to ALCTS members and the library community at large. She is highly regarded as a consultant on many library topics, and that work has taken her all over the world. In 2008, Peggy developed the ALCTS Web course, Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management, based on her very successful book of the same name.

One colleague of Peggy’s commented that “Peggy’s engagement at all levels of the profession and her energy and enthusiasm for her work are characteristic of Ross Atkinson’s philosophy.” Very few individuals have served ALCTS so well and in as many capacities as Peggy.

In addition to serving as the Editor of LRTS, Peggy serves as the editor of Technicalities. In her editorial role, Peggy is recognized for building connections between colleagues and for encouraging and nurturing aspiring authors, veterans and novices. Peggy’s contributions to ALCTS as well as to the University of Minnesota will be long-lasting and a remarkable legacy.

The Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) is the national association for information providers who work in collections and technical services, such as acquisitions, cataloging, collection development, preservation and continuing resources in digital and print formats.

ALCTS is a division of the American Library Association.