Nancy Kranich named the recipient of the Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship

CHICAGO — Nancy Kranich, special projects librarian and lecturer at Rutgers University, has been selected to receive the 2015 American Library Association Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship.  This special honor is given annually to an individual for a “significant contribution to the public recognition and appreciation of librarianship through professional performance, teaching and/or writing."

“It is my honor that the Award Jury recognizes Nancy Kranich for her distinguished achievements in the field of Library and Information Science”, said Teri R. Switzer, chair of the Ken Haycock Award Committee and dean of the Kraemer Family Library at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.  “Nancy’s commitment to advancing librarianship through her teaching, her professional performance and her writing supports her receiving this distinguished honor. For more than 40 years, she has worked tirelessly for the advancement of our profession.” 

Kranich holds a Master of Arts degree in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a Masters in Public Administration from New York University.  Since receiving her Master of Arts degree in 1973, she has worked in academic and public libraries and as a library educator.  During these more than 40 years, she has actively participated in the work of the American Library Association and served as President in 2000-2001.  Her curriculum vita, alone, supports awarding her this honor. Nancy Kranich has, beyond a doubt, made significant contributions to the public recognition and appreciation of librarianship in everything she has done. 

As noted in the nomination submitted on her behalf, “As past president of ALA, Nancy has continued to be an active contributor to the association and the profession.  She established ALA’s Center for Civic Life . . . and is a persistent and very effective proponent and spokesperson for the role and contributions that libraries and librarians make to their communities and society.  She is a known educator who prepares graduate students to embrace their roles as leaders, advocates for intellectual freedom and sound information policy, and conveners of community and civic engagement.”

Kranich not only engages her students and ALA members in the fight for a fair and equitable information society, but also articulates these values in testimony before Congress on our behalf.  As another supporter stated, “She is a leader, a teacher, a tireless advocate for libraries, a mentor to her students, and an inspiration.  She is one of the best library thinkers of the day.”  

Members of the Ken Haycock Award Jury are: Shirley Biladeau, Idaho Commission for Libraries, Boise, Idaho; Nancy Bolt, Nancy Bolt & Associates, Denver, Colorado; Carolyn Giambra of Williamsville, New York; Dorothy Persson, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; and Teri Switzer, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado, chair.

The Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship will be presented to Nancy Kranich at the ALA Award Ceremony and Reception on June 28, during the Annual Conference in San Francisco.

The deadline for submission of applications for the 2015 Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship is December 1, 2015.  Guidelines and application forms are available on the ALA web site.