Kelvin Smith Library, Case Western Reserve University, wins H.W. Wilson Library Staff Development Grant
                 Contact: Cheryl Malden
Program Officer
312-280-3247
NEWS
For Immediate Release
March 15, 2009
The American Library Association is announcing the Kelvin Smith Library, Case Western Reserve University, as the 2010 recipient of the H.W. Wilson Library Staff Development Grant. The award is presented annually to a library or library organization demonstrating the greatest need for a staff development program furthering the goals and objectives of library services. The award is donated by the H.W. Wilson Company and consists of a citation and $3,500 to assist with the development of a library staff-training program.
          The Kelvin Smith Library will use the award to support professional development for the
Traveling and Training with Technology (T3): a Tool Kit for Staff Development. The library will develop a flexible traveling training program that builds upon the library’s established CaseLearns training and will bring continuing education directly to staff members located in libraries beyond the walls of the Kelvin Smith Library.
“The
Traveling and Training with Technology (T3): a Tool Kit for Staff Development is a remarkable collaborative initiative that provides a timely solution to the challenge of keeping skills and expertise current when staffs are already overcommitted and time is at a premium,” said John Pollitz, jury chair.
Case Western Reserve University and the Kelvin Smith Library are part of Cleveland’s University Circle Incorporated (UCI), a 550 acre park-like environment located where approximately 50 cultural, medical, educational, religious and social service institutions are located at the eastern edge of the city. The T3 training project is designed to build on established collaborative relationships between the University libraries and the libraries of the variety of institutions associated with the UCI. Their goal is to meet continuing education needs of librarians and alleviate the strain on budgets and time that a more centralized training program creates.
“Today, information workers in all types of libraries are expected to be competent in skills ranging from Web 2.0 applications to complex interpersonal negotiations. At the same time, and especially in the current economy, library organizations are challenged to find the funds, time, and expertise to help personnel acquire and update skills. To meet this challenge, the Kelvin Smith Library of Case Western Reserve University is partnering with other campus, affiliate, and local libraries in a skills development program.”
Members of the 2010 H.W. Wilson Staff Development Award committee are: Chair, John H. Pollitz, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, McIntyre Library, Eau Claire Wis.; Carol Lee Anderson, University at Albany University Libraries, SUNY, Albany, N. Y.; Timothy P. Grimes, Ann Arbor District Library, Ann Arbor, Mich.; Mary B. Heinzman, Saint Ambrose University, Saint Ambrose University Library, Davenport, Iowa; Norice Lee, New Mexico State University.
The H.W. Wilson Award will be presented on Tuesday, June 29, 2010, at the ALA Annual Conference in Washington D.C.
The deadline for submission of applications for the 2011 H.W. Wilson Award is Dec. 1. Guidelines and application forms are available on the ALA Web site:
http://www.ala.org, in the Awards & Grants section under Professional Recognition.
