Tag: academic_research_librarian

Congrats To Winners Of ACRL’s Big Awards

Two of ACRL’s biggest awards are the Academic/Research Librarian of the Year and the Excellence in Academic/Research Libraries Awards. We just learned who the latest winners of those awards are, and we wanted to extend our congratulations.

Congratulations to Gloriana St. Clair, dean of university libraries at Carnegie Mellon University. St. Clair is the 2009 ACRL Academic/Research Librarian of the Year. Anyone who has met Gloriana knows what an incredible person she is. I personally recall how willing she is to help colleagues. In the early days of portal, as editor, Gloriana would provide much encouragement to potential authors, providing mentoring and support. Here is what the official press release had to say:

“Gloriana St. Clair is deserving of this award on all counts. She epitomizes the Librarian-Leader-Scholar model through her long and notable career as an academic librarian, her contributions to ACRL and other professional organizations and in particular her record of scholarship and scholarly contributions with both national and international influence and impact,” said award committee Chair Robin Wagner, director of the Gettysburg College Library.

St. Clair has a distinguished record of service to the profession. She has contributed to the body of scholarship and scholarly communication by serving as editor of three prestigious journals – College & Research Libraries (1990-96), Journal of Academic Librarianship (1996-2000) and portal: Libraries and the Academy (2000-03). St. Clair has additionally contributed to the body of scholarship as the author or co-author of numerous articles.

In addition to her work as an author, editor, and scholar, St. Clair has served as director of the Universal Digital Library Project since 1999. A broad coalition of libraries and computer scientists in the United States, India and China, the project aims to digitize one million scholarly volumes and make them freely available online. She has contributed to the future of the profession by serving as an adjunct professor in the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Pittsburgh, teaching academic library management.

And it looks like we have another group of first-class academic libraries being added to the ranks of those recognized for their excellence. Here is the rundown on those three libraries from the official ACRL press release:

ACRL is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2009 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award – The Moraine Valley Community College Library, Palos Hills, Illinois; the Wyndham Robertson Library at Hollins University, Roanoke, Virgina; and the University of Minnesota Libraries – Twin Cities. Sponsored by ACRL and Blackwell’s Book 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.

The Moraine Valley Community College Library, winner of the community college category, was recognized for creating an environment that fosters numerous relationships with partners outside those traditionally associated with libraries.

The staff of the Wyndham Robertson Library at Hollins University, winner of the college category, impressed the selection committee with their “can do” attitude that has resulted in many innovative and creative programs.

The University of Minnesota Libraries, winner of the university category, was praised for developing excellent strategies to successfully transform and rebrand the libraries to secure a highly valued position on campus.

Again, congratulations to Gloriana St. Clair, and the staffs at all three Excellence in Academic Libraries award winners.

ACRL Announces Its Big Awards

Yesterday ACRL issued press releases about two of its most notable awards – the Academic/Research Librarian of the Year and the Excellence in Academic Libraries. Who won?

If you had asked me to predict who I thought would be this year’s Academic/Research Librarian of the Year, Peter Hernon would not have been my pick. If you’ve opened just about any of this profession’s top scholarly journals in the last decade, you recognize the name. Hernon, professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Simmons College, is a prolific researcher and author. Selecting as the winner someone who is primarily an educator and researcher is a significantly different choice from the awardees of the past several years – mostly library directors and significant contributors to ACRL’s leadership. According to the press release “Dr. Peter Hernon was selected because of his substantive body of research over a career of more than 30 years. His research, publications and presentations significantly impact the library profession”. I think this is a bold choice, and communicates that academic librarians still value what research and scholarly publication bring to our profession. If you’d like to explore some of Hernon’s latest research, take a look at Making a Difference: Leadership and Academic Libraries (co-written with Nancy Rossiter). He writes, “The twenty-first century librarian needs to be a leader and a follower, and the librarian who has managerial responsibilities and roles must also be an effective manager…Organizations must move beyond “managerial noise” and create a vision-driven organization in which the culture of leadership is inspirational, motivational, and transformational and displays emotional intelligence.” ACRLog congratulates Dr. Peter Hernon.

This year’s recipients of the Excellence in Academic Libraries award are:

* Shatford Library at Pasadena City College, Pasadena, Calif. (community college category)
* Laurence McKinley Gould Library at Carleton College, Northfield, Minn. (college library category);
* McMaster University Libraries, Hamilton, Ontario. (university category)

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. The press release provides more details on each library organization. If you are familiar with any of the librarians at these institutions or know of the great work they do for their academic communities, you know they are deserving of the award. ACRLog extends its congratulations to all of the winners. They will continue to be a model for other academic libraries that seek to achieve excellence.