2013 ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries Award winners announced

CHICAGO — The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) announces the recipients of the 2013 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award – Walla Walla Community College Library, Walla Walla, Wash.; Rollins College Olin Library, Winter Park, Fla. and Villanova University Falvey Memorial Library, Villanova, Pa. Sponsored by ACRL and YBP Library Services, the award recognizes the staff of a college, university and community college library for programs that deliver exemplary services and resources to further the educational mission of the institution.

“These deserving recipients demonstrate the commitment to student learning, focus on continuous innovation and integration with the campus community that exemplify today’s best academic and research libraries,” said ACRL Executive Director Mary Ellen K. Davis. “Receiving an Excellence in Academic Libraries Award is a national tribute to each library and its staff for outstanding services, programs and leadership.”

The Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) Library, winner in the community college category, was chosen for its articulation of organizational outcomes, emphasis on student learning and leveraging staff resources for great impact.

“The award committee was impressed with WWCC library’s clarity of purpose and mission and emphasis on student learning and success,” said Lisa Hinchliffe, chair of the 2013 Excellence in Academic Libraries Committee and professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “Working with the challenging circumstances of interim, part-time and cyclic staff, the library’s commitment to student learning is embedded throughout its activities. ”

“The growth in the breadth and depth of the information literacy program is notable in many areas and the committee took particular note of the dedication and innovation in serving students in the instructional programs at two local correctional facilities,” Hinchliffe continued. "From the heartfelt and personal letters of support, it is clear that the WWCC serves its entire community."

“The Walla Walla Community College Library staff is thrilled and honored to be a recipient of the 2013 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award,” said WWCC Director of Library Services Stacy L. Prest. “The library strives to find that perfect balance of effective classroom instruction, modern technology and traditional resources without overlooking the ever-important personal touch. The library staff is truly dedicated and enthusiastically serves our diverse student body and surrounding community. As we continue to draw inspiration from our students and their successes, we fully embrace WWCC’s mission of ‘inspiring students to discover their potential and achieve their goals.’ We’re proud to help make a difference.”

Olin Library of Rollins College, winner of this year’s award in the college category, impressed the selection committee with its intentional and extensive integration into the campus community as well as academic programs.

“Underscoring its centrality to the campus, Olin Library’s renovated library space, well-designed to meet user needs and well-used, served as a place of comfort and community during Hurricane Isaac,” noted Hinchliffe. “The new organizational relationship with the Tutoring & Writing Center, the establishment of the Center for Creativity multimedia lab and initiation of a digital preservation program and digital archivist position give further evidence to this centrality. The emphasis on library performance and user satisfaction, data-information decision making and engagement with systematic assessment of student learning in general education underscore service development and improvement.”

"Everyone at the Olin Library is honored to have won the 2013 ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries Award,” said Jonathan Miller, director of the library at Rollins College. “We are delighted that the association has recognized all the hard work we have put in, along with our partners in Information Technology and Tutoring & Writing Consulting, to making the library a vibrant hub of intellectual and community activity for the Rollins community. We could not have done this without the sustained support of faculty, staff and most importantly, students. Olin truly is their library."

The Falvey Memorial Library at Villanova University, winner in the university category, was selected for its continuous innovation in serving the university’s mission through an organizational structure built around teams and work groups and collaborative philosophy.

“Through true collaboration across all levels of the organization, Falvey Memorial Library has leveraged expertise and enthusiasm to engage itself in serving all aspects of Villanova University’s mission,” said Hinchliffe. “The Learning Commons furthers this philosophy by integrating library services and resources with other campus educational centers in support of student learning, and the additional event spaces create a true public forum for the intellectual life. The library’s work in digital initiatives, particularly the partnerships with other Catholic universities and the creation of vuFind, demonstrates the commitment to working collaboratively with the broader library profession. vuFind is a quintessential example of local work having global impact.”

"We are thrilled to receive this recognition for the achievements of Falvey Memorial Library,” said Joseph Lucia, university librarian at Villanova University. “The ACRL Excellence Award represents for us the highest level of peer endorsement of our efforts to create an innovative ‘commons-centered’ model for academic library service and success in the digital era. There are many extraordinary academic libraries doing many creative things at this time so it is difficult to stand out from the pack. We are truly honored to have been selected."

Each winning library will receive $3,000 and a plaque, to be presented at an award ceremony held on each recipient’s campus.

Additional information on the award, along with a list of past winners, is available on the ACRL website.

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About ACRL

ACRL is a division of the American Library Association, representing more than 11,500 academic and research librarians and interested individuals. ACRL is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products and services to meet the unique needs of academic and research librarians. Its initiatives enable the higher education community to understand the role that academic libraries play in the teaching, learning and research environments. ACRL is on the Web at http://www.acrl.org/, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ala.acrl and Twitter at @ala_acrl.

About YBP Library Services

YBP Library Services, a Baker & Taylor company, provides books and supporting collection management and technical services to academic, research and special libraries in the Americas, Asia, Middle East, Australia and the Pacific Rim. GOBI³, YBP's acquisition and collection development interface, provides access to more than 10 million titles. YBP is located in Contoocook, NH, USA. For more on the company, visit www.ybp.com.