AASL leader receives Distinguished Service Award
Contact: Melissa Jacobsen
AASL Communications Specialist
(312) 280-4381
NEWS
For Immediate Release
May 4, 2010
CHICAGO – Dr. Marcia Mardis in the recipient of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Distinguished Service Award. Mardis is an assistant professor in the School of Library and Information Science at Florida State University.
Mardis has been the chair of the AASL Research & Statistics Committee since 2007. She was a key player in the creation of AASL's "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" and serves on the editorial board of AASL's prominent research journal, "School Library Media Research" (SLMR). In addition to her leadership roles in AASL, Mardis is the chair of the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) Research Special Interest Group. She serves on the editorial board of numerous journals and publications, including "Teacher Librarian," and was a Fulbright Visiting Professor at the University of Alberta in 2008. She also serves as a reviewer for the U.S. Department of Education's Improving Literacy through School Libraries program since its inception in 2001.
According to Janice Newsum, who nominated Mardis, she is a "visionary" in leadership and research. In 2006, she received the Association of Library Science Educators (ALISE) Research Award; the only time it has been given to a school library researcher. Her study of Michigan middle schools awarded her the 2009 Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME) Presidential Award for Outstanding Service to School Libraries. She has received countless other awards and recognition for her research and leadership.
Mardis has received $3 million of support for her research on school libraries and science. The funding has made her the most widely published researcher of school libraries, science learning and digital resources. Since 2005, Mardis has authored 16 refereed articles; 15 non-refereed articles; and four book chapters. She has edited two books and presented more than 50 papers, facilitated workshops and has been invited to be a keynote speaker at conferences.
"Dr. Mardis has demonstrated visionary leadership in professional organizations, conducted influential research, published many refereed and non-refereed articles and founded Michigan Online Resources for Educators (MORE), a digital library for educators. Her leadership and research has transformed school librarianship." said Pamela Renfrow, chair of the Distinguished Service Award Subcommittee.
Established in 1978, the AASL Distinguished Service Award, sponsored by Baker and Taylor, recognizes an individual member of the library profession who has, over a significant period of time, made an outstanding national contribution to school librarianship and school library development.
The American Association of School Librarians,
www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), promotes the improvement and extension of library services in elementary and secondary schools as a means of strengthening the total education program. Its mission is to advocate excellence, facilitate change and develop leaders in the school library field.
