Lizabeth A. Wilson wins 2013 Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial award

CHICAGO — Lizabeth (Betsy) A. Wilson, dean of university libraries at the University of Washington (UW), has been named the 2013 winner of the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award. Wilson will receive a cash award and citation during the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

Named in honor of one of the pioneers of library automation, the Atkinson Award recognizes an academic librarian who has made significant contributions in the area of library automation or management, and has made notable improvements in library services or research.

“Betsy Wilson is a library leader who exemplifies the work and accomplishments of Hugh Atkinson,” said Larry P. Alford, Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award committee chair and chief librarian at the University of Toronto Libraries. “It speaks volumes that she was nominated for this award by 11 of her senior colleagues at the University of Washington with letters of support from across the library professions and from a former Provost at UW.”

“Her colleagues use phrases such as ‘adroitness in moving organizations forward,’ ‘personal warmth,’ ‘a strong sense of integrity’ and ‘ability to focus on what is truly important,’ and note her knowledge that ‘understanding and valuing individuals is the key to organizational improvement and survival’ in describing her leadership. It was clear to the committee that over her career Dean Wilson has nurtured and inspired her colleagues and fostered innovation to strengthen the ability of the libraries she has personally led as well as libraries across the world to serve better users of libraries,” continued Alford.

Wilson received her B.A. in Art History and German from Northwestern University. She earned her M.S. in Library Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The Hugh C. Atkinson Award is jointly sponsored by four divisions of ALA: the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS), the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA) and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA). The award is funded from an endowment established to honor Hugh C. Atkinson. 

Donations to the endowment may be sent to Casey Kinson, ACRL, 50 East Huron St., Chicago, Ill. 60611.

For more information regarding the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award, or a complete list of past recipients, please visit the ACRL awards 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 ALCTS

Comprised of nearly 5,000 members from across the United States and 42 countries from around the globe, ALCTS is the premier resource for information specialists in collection development, preservation, and technical services. We are the leader in the development of principles, standards and best practices for creating, collecting, organizing, delivering and preserving information resources in all forms.

About LITA

Established in 1966, LITA is the leading organization reaching out across types of libraries to provide education and services for a broad membership of over 3,000 systems librarians, library administrators, library schools, vendors and many others interested in leading edge technology and applications for librarians and information providers.  For more information, visit http://www.lita.org, or contact the LITA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4268; or e-mail: lita@ala.org

About LLAMA

The mission of the Library Leadership and Management Association (http://www.ala.org/llama) is to encourage and nurture current and future library leaders, and to develop and promote outstanding leadership and management practices. LLAMA is a division of the American Library Association.