CHICAGO — Anne R. Kenney, Carl A. Kroch University Librarian at Cornell University, has been named the 2014 winner of the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award. Kenney will receive a cash award and citation during the 2014 ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas.
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.
“The nomination for Anne R. Kenney presented the committee with an extraordinary tour of innovative achievements and service to the profession,” said Lisa Carlucci Thomas, Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award committee chair and director at Design Think Do. “Anne’s leadership on significant projects, such as 2CUL, arXiv, Project Euclid and Making of America; her influential work on large-scale digitization and digital preservation standards and her global contributions in Myanmar, Cuba, China and beyond demonstrates her outstanding creativity, agility, risk-taking and collaborative spirit.”
“Anne’s peers describe her as a ‘fearless visionary,’ ‘a thoughtful, intellectual leader’ and a ‘digital library pioneer;’ noting that ‘Hugh Atkinson himself would be proud’ to call her a colleague,” continued Thomas. “Several colleagues who knew Hugh Atkinson shared examples of how ‘Anne Kenney brings Hugh’s spirit of technology-harnessing, tradition-busting leadership – with an additional dash of adventure as well.’ She inspires and generates enthusiasm for new programs and strategies and thrives to bring individuals together around a shared purpose.”
Kenney received her B.A. from Duke University, cum laude, her M.A. in History, with distinction, from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and her M.A.L.S. from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
The Hugh C. Atkinson Award is jointly sponsored by four divisions of the American Library Association: 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 Chase Ollis, 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 awards section of the ACRL website.
Image credit: William Staffeld / Cornell AAP
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About ACRL
The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) is the higher education association for librarians. Representing more than 11,500 academic and research librarians and interested individuals, ACRL (a division of the American Library Association) is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products and services to help academic and research librarians learn, innovate and lead within the academic community. Founded in 1940, ACRL is committed to advancing learning and transforming scholarship. ACRL is on the Web at www.acrl.org/, Facebook at 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 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 (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.