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Ruth Mahaffy Awarded 2019 LITA/Christian Larew Memorial Scholarship

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Ruth Mahaffy has been selected to receive the 2019 LITA/Christian Larew Memorial Scholarship ($3,000) sponsored by the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) and Baker & Taylor. Mahaffy will graduate from Emporia State University’s School of Library and Information Management in 2020. This Scholarship is for master’s level study, with an emphasis on library technology and/or automation, at a library school program accredited by the American Library Association. Criteria for the Scholarship includes previous academic excellence, evidence of leadership potential, and a commitment to a career in library automation and information technology. Mahaffy is the Bilingual Services Director at the Sioux Center (IA) Public Library, where she started the Library’s first outreach to Spanish speaking immigrants in 2010, which now has over 1,000 attendees at programs for Spanish speakers and English language learners each year (in a town of 7,000). She also drafted a new internet use policy that addresses the rights of minors to…

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Congratulations to Colby Lewis, Winner of the 2018 LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award

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Colby Lewis is the winner of the 2018 Student Writing Award sponsored by Ex Libris Group and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) for her paper titled “The Open Access Citation Advantage: Does It Exist and What Does It Mean for Libraries?” Lewis is a Master of Science in Information candidate at the University of Michigan School of Information. “Lewis’ paper was selected as the winner because it is an excellent treatment of a timely and important topic. The paper was educational, well-written, and provided a comprehensive review of the scholarship assessing the open access citation advantage,” said Eric Phetteplace, the Chair of this year’s selection committee. When notified she had won, Lewis remarked, “I am extremely excited and honored to accept the LITA/Ex Libris Writing Award for 2018. I would like to thank my family for all of their support and Professors Levine and Courant for encouraging me to submit…

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Congratulations to Heather Moulaison Sandy, winner of the 2018 LITA/Library Hi Tech Award

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Heather Moulaison Sandy has been named the winner of the 2018 LITA/Library Hi Tech Award for Outstanding Communication in Library and Information Technology. Emerald Publishing and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) sponsor the Award, which recognizes outstanding individuals or institutions for their long-term contributions in the area of Library and Information Science technology and its application. The Award Committee selected Moulaison Sandy because it was impressed with her extensive contributions to ongoing professional development across the discipline., which include five books and more than 25 peer-reviewed journal articles. Her work has been presented at over 100 local, national, and international venues in nearly 15 countries as well as at numerous online webinars and talks. Moulaison Sandy is Associate Professor at the iSchool at the University of Missouri and works primarily at the intersection of the organization of information and the online environment. She is a recipient of this…

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Congratulations to Richard P. Smiraglia, winner of the 2018 LITA/OCLC Kilgour Research Award

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Richard P. Smiraglia has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology, sponsored by OCLC and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA). Dr. Smiraglia is a Professor in the Knowledge Organization Research Group of the iSchool at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a Visiting Professor for 2016-2017 at DANS – Data Archives and Networked Services (a Division of the Royal Netherlands Academy of the Arts and Sciences) and Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Knowledge Organization. He has also been on the faculties of the Palmer School of Library and Information Science at Long Island University (1992-2009), the School of Library Service at Columbia University (1986-1992) and was Music Catalog Librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1974-1986). The Kilgour Award honors research relevant to the development of information technologies, especially work which shows promise of having a positive and…

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Lucy Flamm Awarded 2017 LITA/Christian Larew Memorial Scholarship

Lucy Flamm has been selected to receive the 2017 LITA/Christian Larew Memorial Scholarship ($3,000) sponsored by the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) and Baker & Taylor. Flamm will be attending the University of Texas at Austin starting in Fall 2017 to earn a Master of Science in Information Studies and Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies. This Scholarship is for master’s level study, with an emphasis on library technology and/or automation, at a library school program accredited by the American Library Association. Criteria for the Scholarship includes previous academic excellence, evidence of leadership potential, and a commitment to a career in library automation and information technology. The Committee noted that “Flamm’s award-winning undergraduate research on Middle Eastern history and year spent working in a library in the West Bank have prepared her well for Middle Eastern studies librarianship. We hope that this scholarship will help her to fulfill her vision…

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Megan Ozeran wins 2017 LITA / Ex Libris Student Writing Award

Megan Ozeran has been selected as the winner of the 2017 Student Writing Award sponsored by Ex Libris Group and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) for her paper titled “Managing Metadata for Philatelic Materials.” Ozeran is a MLIS candidate at the San Jose State University School of Information. “Megan Ozeran’s paper was selected as the winner because it takes a scholarly look at an information technology topic that is new and unresolved. Ms. Ozeran’s discussion offers a thorough examination of the current state of cataloging stamps and issues related to their discoverability,” said Rebecca Rose, the Chair of this year’s selection committee. The LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award recognizes outstanding writing on a topic in the area of libraries and information technology by a student or students enrolled in an ALA-accredited library and information studies graduate program. The winning manuscript will be published in Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL), LITA’s open access,…

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Ellyssa Kroski Receives 2017 LITA/Library Hi Tech Award

Ellyssa Kroski has been named the winner of the 2017 LITA/Library Hi Tech Award for Outstanding Communication in Library and Information Technology. The Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) and Emerald Group Publishing sponsor the Award, which recognizes outstanding individuals or institutions for their long-term contributions in the area of Library and Information Science technology and its application. The winner receives a citation and a $1,000 stipend. The Award Committee selected Kroski because of her passion for teaching and technology, as well as her impact in public libraries, academic libraries, and with library school students. As a technology expert, an editor, contributor, and compiler of books, she has helped make technology and makerspaces accessible for many different types of institutions. Kroski is the Director of Information Technology at the New York Law Institute as well as an award-winning editor and author of 36 books including Law Librarianship in the Digital Age…

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Timothy Cole Wins 2017 LITA/OCLC Kilgour Research Award

Timothy Cole, Head of the Mathematics Library and Professor of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has been selected as the recipient of the 2017 Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology, sponsored by OCLC and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA). Professor Cole also holds appointments in the Center for Informatics Research in Science and Scholarship (CIRSS) and the University Library. The Kilgour Award is given for research relevant to the development of information technologies, especially work which shows promise of having a positive and substantive impact on any aspect(s) of the publication, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information, or the processes by which information and data is manipulated and managed. The winner receives $2,000, a citation, and travel expenses to attend the LITA Awards Ceremony & President’s Program at the 2017 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago (IL). Over the past 20…

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Dr. June Abbas Wins 2016 LITA/OCLC Kilgour Research Award

Dr. June Abbas, Professor of Library and Information Studies at the University of Oklahoma, has been selected as the recipient of the 2016 Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology sponsored by OCLC and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA). The Kilgour Award is given for research relevant to the development of information technologies, especially work which shows promise of having a positive and substantive impact on any aspect(s) of the publication, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information, or the processes by which information and data is manipulated and managed. The winner receives $2,000, a citation, and travel expenses to attend the LITA Awards Ceremony & President’s Program at the ALA Annual Conference in Orlando (FL). Dr. Abbas has published more than 100 articles with the h-index of 13 since 2008, which demonstrates a significant impact on the field as seen from the more than…

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Congratulate 2016 LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award Winner Tanya Johnson

Tanya Johnson has been selected as the winner of the 2016 Student Writing Award sponsored by Ex Libris Group and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) for her paper titled “Let’s Get Virtual: An Examination of Best Practices to Provide Public Access to Digital Versions of Three-Dimensional Objects.” Johnson is a MLIS candidate at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information. “Tanya Johnson’s paper on best practices for providing public access to digital versions of three-dimensional objects stood out to the selection committee due to her clear writing and practical, informative content. We are delighted to grant Tanya the 2016 LITA/ExLibris Award,” said Brianna Marshall, the Chair of this year’s selection committee. The LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award recognizes outstanding writing on a topic in the area of libraries and information technology by a student or students enrolled in an ALA-accredited library and information studies graduate program. The winning manuscript will be…