mar14_b.indd


C&RL News March 2014 118

Chase Ollis

ACRL honors the 2014 award 
winners, part 1
A recognition of professional development

Kenney wins Hugh C. Atkinson 
Memorial award
Anne R. Kenney, Carl A. Kroch University 
librarian at Cornell University, has been 
named the winner of the Hugh C. Atkinson 
Memorial Award. Kenney will receive a cash 
award and citation during the ALA Annual 

Conference in Las 
Vegas.

Named in honor 
of one of the pio-
neers of library auto-
mation, the Atkinson 
Award recognizes 
an academic librar-
ian who has made 
significant contribu-
tions in the area of 
library automation 
or management, and 
has made notable 
improvements in li-

brary services or research.
“The nomination for Anne R. Kenney pre-

sented 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 creativ-
ity, 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 Atkin-
son shared examples of how ‘Anne Kenney 
brings Hugh’s spirit of technology-har-
nessing, 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.”

The Hugh C. Atkinson Award is jointly 
sponsored by four divisions of ALA: ACRL, As-
sociation for Library Collections and Technical 
Services, Library Leadership and Management 
Association, and Library and Information 
Technology Association. 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.

Excellence in Academic Libraries 
Award winners
The Excellence in Academic Libraries Award 
winners are Illinois Central College (ICC) 
Library, East Peoria, Illinois; Lafayette Col-
lege Skillman Library, Easton, Pennsylvania; 

Anne R. Kenney
Photograph by William 

Staffeld/Cornell AAP

Chase Ollis is ACRL program coordinator, e-mail: collis@
ala.org 
© 2014 Chase Ollis



March 2014 119 C&RL News

Bucknall named Academic/Research Librarian of the Year

Tim Bucknall, assistant dean of libraries and 

head of electronic resources and information 

technologies at the University of North Carolina 

-Greensboro (UNCG), is the 2014 ACRL Aca-

demic/Research Librarian of the Year. The award, 

sponsored by YBP Library Services, recognizes 

an outstanding member of the library profes-

sion who has made a significant national or 

international contribution to academic/research 

librarianship and library development.

Bucknall will receive a $5,000 award during 

the ACRL President’s Program at 

the 2014 ALA Annual Conference 

in Las Vegas.

“Tim Bucknall’s service to the li-

brary profession is truly impressive,” 

noted Laurel Littrell, chair of the 

ACRL Academic/Research Librarian 

of the Year Award Committee and 

director of library planning and as-

sessment at Kansas State University. 

“Among his many accomplish-

ments, he founded the Carolina 

Consortium in 2004, to provide 

access to library resources for the University of 

North Carolina system. Tim also created Journal 

Finder, the first open source link resolver and 

knowledge base tool, which eventually was 

picked up by a vendor for wider development 

and distribution in 2008. Not only has Tim cre-

ated and developed these tools and services, he 

also shares his experience and knowledge [with] 

others in the profession to assist them in using 

these as models to benefit library patrons across 

the country and world.”

“I feel deeply honored to be recognized 

by ACRL for my professional contributions,” 

Bucknall said. “Of course, academic librarian-

ship is rarely a solo performance, and none of 

my accomplishments could have been realized 

without the support, insight, and dedication of 

my fellow library professionals within North 

Carolina and across the nation. This award em-

phasizes that when librarians work together, we 

can do amazing things.”

“Tim’s work in building consortia, leveraging 

e-resources, and improving use of information 

technology are important contributions to the 

profession,” added ACRL Executive Director Mary 

Ellen Davis. “I am delighted at his inclusive ap-

proach and the value that he places on teamwork 

and collaboration, traits that are firmly engrained 

in the ACRL culture.”

Bucknall’s creative, team-driven approach to 

librarianship; coalition-building abilities, espe-

cially between the library and conveyor com-

munities; and innovative approach 

have earned him the respect, trust, 

and admiration of his colleagues in 

the Carolinas and beyond. 

Bucknall has discussed his work 

at a wide range of conferences, 

including the Charleston Confer-

ence, Association of Southeastern 

Research Libraries conferences, 

Electronic Resources and Libraries, 

the North American Serials Interest 

Group conference, Computers in 

Libraries, ACRL conferences, and the 

ALA Annual Conference. 

His publications include Library Technology 

and User Services: Planning, Integration, and Us-

ability Engineering (with Anthony Chow, 2012), 

“Usability Engineering and Technology Integration 

in Libraries” in The International Journal of Sci-

ence in Society (with Anthony Chow, 2009), “A 

Comparative Evaluation of Journal Literature Ac-

cess Options at the University of North Carolina at 

Greensboro” in Interlending and Document Sup-

ply (2009), and “U-Search: A User Study of the CD-

ROM Service at the University of North Carolina 

at Chapel Hill” in RQ (with Rikki Mangrum, 1998).

Prior to joining UNCG as head of the Electronic 

Resources and Information Technology Depart-

ment in 1994, Bucknall served as electronic ser-

vices librarian at the University of North Carolina-

Chapel Hill from 1989 to 1994. He received the 

North Carolina Library Association RTSS Signifi-

cant Achievement Award in 2001 and was named 

a 2006 Mover and Shaker by Library Journal.

Tim Bucknall



C&RL News March 2014 120

and California Polytechnic State University’s 
Robert E. Kennedy Library, San Luis Obispo, 
California. Sponsored by ACRL and YBP 
Library Services, the award recognizes the 
staff of a college, university, and community 

college library for programs that deliver ex-
emplary services and resources to further the 
educational mission of the institution.

“These deserving recipients demonstrate 
the commitment to student learning, campus 
outreach, and digital scholarship, with a focus 
on continuous innovation and integration 
with the campus community that exemplify 
today’s best academic and research libraries,” 
said ACRL Ex-
ecutive Direc-
tor Mary El-
len K. Davis. 
“Receiving an 
Excellence in 
Academic Li-
braries Award 
is a national 
t r i b u t e  t o 
each library 
and its staff 
for outstand-
ing services, programs and leadership.”

ICC Library, winner in the community 
college category, was chosen for its em-
phasis on disadvantaged students and staff 
development.

“Illinois Central is being recognized for an 
emphasis on students who are disadvantaged 
and not strong readers, finding approaches 

to raise the students’ odds of success by get-
ting them to read,” said Joyce Ogburn, chair 
of the 2014 Excellence in Academic Libraries 
Committee and dean of the libraries at Ap-
palachian State University. “The library also 

believes in staff devel-
opment and supports 
a robust Library Tech 
training program in the 
evening and encour-
ages participation in 
leadership training on 
campus. They exercise 
extensive outreach to 
the campus commu-
nity and outcomes are 
demonstrated that go 
beyond the library. 
The application was 

enhanced by telling stories of what happens 
throughout the day in the life of the library 
and the users.”

“We feel so honored and humbled to 
receive this award,” said ICC library director 
Cate Kaufman. “The ICC’s entire library staff 
has collaborated in recent years to re-think 
the delivery of services and the availability 
of resources we provide our students and 

the college as a whole. The award reaffirms 
the importance of those efforts and encour-
ages us to continue to adapt and meet the 
demands of the ever-changing climate of 
higher education.”

Skillman Library of Lafayette College, 
winner of this year’s award in the college 
category, impressed the selection committee 

Staff at Illinois Central College Library.

Staff at Skillman Library of Lafayette College.



March 2014 121 C&RL News

with its digital scholarship experimentation, as 
well as its pioneering in acquisition models.

“Lafayette College seeks to be a model for 
other colleges and has been in the forefront 
on getting grants and experimenting with 
digital scholarship in the liberal arts setting,” 
noted Ogburn. “The library implemented 
new models of acquisitions for journals by 
combining strategic cancellations with article-
by-article purchase. They led the way for other 
liberal arts colleges by developing consortial 
approaches to patron-driven acquisitions for 
e-books, joining Ha-
thi Trust, and imple-
menting the Ithaka 
faculty survey on 
their campus.”

“We are greatly 
honored to be se-
lected by our peers 
to receive this award, 
which recognizes not 
only our library’s in-
novative work on 
behalf of Lafayette 
College but also our 
strategic collabora-
tion with other col-
leges and universi-
ties,” said Neil J. McElroy, library director at 
Lafayette College. 

“While the award nomination highlights 
our programmatic initiatives and technologi-
cal innovations, we are mindful that our suc-
cess has been enabled by those relationships 
of trust and reciprocity that we’ve been privi-
leged to build with the Lafayette community 
and colleagues at other institutions over many 
years. We are deeply pleased and grateful.”

The Robert E. Kennedy Library at Cal Poly 
State University, winner in the university 
category, was selected for its innovations in 
student engagement.

“Cal Poly State University library uses 
a thematic approach in their application, 
documenting their emphasis on being open, 
inclusive, and connected,” said Ogburn. 

“Their ideas are fresh and appealing across 
the three areas. The committee noted the 

level of student engagement and partner-
ships across campus. We were taken by the 
LibRATs program, or Library Research As-
sistance Technicians, where highly trained 
students provide instruction and help other 
students with research. Among their other 
innovations are developing a Data Studio to 
address data literacy and instigating access to 
and development of open access textbooks 
to decrease costs for students.”

“It is a true honor to be chosen for this 
year’s ACRL Excellence Award,” said Anna K. 

Gold, university librarian at California Poly-
technic State University. “The Robert E. Ken-
nedy Library’s ‘open, inclusive, connected’ 
culture reflects the strengths of California 
Polytechnic State University’s cross-disciplin-
ary excellence. Every person at the Kennedy 
library works hard to amplify those strengths, 
through our partnerships with students, staff, 
and faculty. Many academic libraries are 
emerging as dynamic campus centers for 
learning and research, and we are thrilled to 
be recognized among them this year by our 
peers, and by this award.”

“All three achieved excellence without 
the benefit of a new or greatly renovated 
library,” noted Ogburn. “Each made the 
most of the resources at hand and capital-
ized on their staffs’ energies and talents to 
blaze new territory or to serve their users 
in new ways.”

Staff of the California Polytechnic State University’s 
Robert E. Kennedy Library.



C&RL News March 2014 122

Each winning library will receive $3,000 
and a plaque, to be presented at an award 
ceremony held on each recipient’s campus.

Grassian wins IS Miriam Dudley 
Instruction Librarian Award
Esther Stampfer Grassian, distinguished 
librarian (UCLA), emerita, is the winner of 

ACRL’s Instruction 
Section’s (IS) Miriam 
Dudley Instruction 
Librarian Award. The 
award honors Miriam 
Dudley, whose ef-
forts in the field of 
information literacy 
led to the formation 
of IS. The honor rec-
ognizes a librarian 
who has made a sig-
nificant contribution 
to the advancement 

of instruction in a college or research library 
environment.

Grassian will receive a $1,000 award, 
along with a plaque

“Esther Grassian’s deep impact on the field 
of information literacy has been sustained 
over the length of her distinguished career, 
including 41 years as a librarian in the UCLA 
College Library,” said IS Miriam Dudley 
Award Chair Susan Miller, visiting librarian 
at Illinois Wesleyan University. “Grassian’s 
contributions span all areas of librarianship; 
she is nationally recognized for her leader-
ship, teaching, writing, and presenting in 
the area of information literacy instruction 
and advocacy.

“Grassian’s extensive service to the pro-
fession ranges from local to international in 
scope, and includes work with the Califor-
nia Clearinghouse on Library Instruction, 
ALA, ACRL, the Instruction Section, LIRT, 
REFORMA, and the European Conference 
on Information Literacy,” noted Miller. “The 
Instruction Section is pleased to honor Es-
ther Grassian, who has made an especially 
significant contribution to the advancement 
of instruction in academic libraries.”

Farkas, Hofer, Molinelli, and Willson-
St. Clair receive IS Innovation Award
Meredith Farkas, Amy Hofer, Lisa Molinelli, 
and Kimberly Willson-St. Clair, all of Portland 
State University, 
have been se-
lected to receive 
ACRL’s Instruc-
tion Section (IS) 
Innovation award 
for their work on 
the software, Li-
brary DIY, which 
assists students in 
finding the infor-
mation they need 
quickly. Farkas is 
the general education instruction coordinator, 
Hofer is the distance learning librarian, and 
Molinelli and Wilson-St. Clair are reference 
and instruction 
librarians. All four 
primarily work to 
develop creative 
and sustainable 
instructional ser-
vices to support 
students. 

Sponsored by 
ProQuest, the an-
nual award rec-
ognizes a project 
that demonstrates 
creative, innovative, or unique approaches to 
information literacy instruction or program-
ming.

A prize of $3,000 
and a plaque will 
be presented to the 
group.

“The commit-
tee liked the DIY 
approach and was 
impressed by the 
scope of the project 
and ease of use,” 
said award commit-
tee cochairs Lori 
Dubois of Williams 

Esther Stampfer Grassian

Meredith Farkas

Amy Hofer

Lisa Molinelli



March 2014 123 C&RL News

College and Su-
sanna Eng-Ziskin 
o f  C a l i f o r n i a 
State University-
Northridge. “While 
m a n y  l i b r a r i e s 
have comprehen-
sive information 
literacy tutorials, 
this project pro-
vides a model for 
libraries consider-
ing how to help 

students quickly answer questions as they 
are doing their research.”

Library DIY is a system of learning objects 
at Portland State University that is designed 
to give students the quick answers they need 
for point-of-need support. The content and 
information architecture of Library DIY is 
designed to mirror a reference desk transac-
tion; students can drill down to the specific 
piece of information they need rather than 
having to skim through a long tutorial to 
find what they’re looking for.

Holliday and Rogers win IS Ilene F. 
Rockman Publication of the Year 
Award
Wendy Holliday, head of academic pro-
grams and course support at Northern 

Arizona University, 
and Jim Rogers, as-
sociate professor 
and director of the 
Intensive English 
Language Institute 
at Utah State Uni-
versity, have been 
chosen as the win-
ners of ACRL’s In-
struction Section 
(IS) Ilene F. Rock-
man Publication of 
the Year Award, 

for their article, “Talking About Information 
Literacy: The Mediating Role of Discourse in 
a College Writing Classroom,” published in 
2013 by portal: Libraries and the Academy. 

The award recognizes an outstanding publi-
cation related to library instruction published 
in the past two years. 

The award, donated by Emerald Group 
Publishing Ltd., consists of a plaque and a 
cash prize of $3,000. 

“Holliday and Rogers’s study is important 
because it challenges us to think about how 
the words we use to describe the research 
process in the classroom affects student 
learning and engagement in research,” said 
award committee cochairs Lori DuBois of 
Williams College and 
Susanna Eng-Ziskin 
of California State 
U n i v e r s i t y - N o r t h -
ridge.

I n  t h e i r  s t u d y , 
Holliday and Rog-
ers analyze how li-
brarians and writ-
ing instructors’ word 
choices focusing on 
“sources” as contain-
ers instead of the 
ideas within them 
may lead students to focus on finding 
sources to fulfill the assignment parameters 
rather than engaging more fully with the in-
formation to learn about the research topic.

Holliday has been an academic librarian 
since 2002, with an emphasis on information 
literacy and teaching and learning.

Rogers has extensive experience teach-
ing English as a Second Language (ESL) and 
teaching graduate students in ESL education 
programs, as well as in creating faculty pro-
fessional development programs related to 
ESL and teaching and learning.

Micham wins WGSS Career 
Achievement Award
Laura Micham, Merle Hoffmann director of 
the Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s His-
tory and Culture and curator of gender and 
sexuality history collections in the David 
M. Rubenstein Rare Books and Manuscripts 
Library at Duke University, has been selected 
as the winner of ACRL’s Women and Gender 

Kimberly Willson-St. Clair

Wendy Holliday

Jim Rogers



C&RL News March 2014 124

Studies Section (WGSS) Career Achievement 
Award. The award honors significant long-
standing contributions to women’s studies 
in the field of librarianship over the course 
of a career.

“The awards committee selected Laura 
Micham based on her significant leadership 
strengths and contributions to the world of 
archives as the Merle Hoffman Director of 
the Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s His-
tory and Culture at Duke University,” said 

award chair Jennifer 
Mayer, associate li-
brarian at the Uni-
versity of Wyoming. 
“One colleague de-
scribes her vision 
and commitment as 
bringing the dreams 
of ‘a vibrant hub of 
feminist scholarship’ 
to its current reality. 
Another describes 
her ‘unparalleled in-

tellectual grasp of the field of women and 
gender studies, her boundless energy for 
programming, and her remarkable ability 
to work with all sectors of the university 
community.’”

“The committee looked at Micham’s ten-
ure as director and the resulting successful 
archival programs, instructional offerings 
and collections in women and gender 
studies disciplines—all of exemplary qual-
ity—developed under her leadership. The 
committee was also impressed with her 
proactive work with students—how she 
makes collections come alive for students, 
and her passion to connect students with 
archival resources. 

“During her directorship, the Sallie 
Bingham Center has grown both its col-
lections and its national profile. Micham is 
described as an individual who fights hard 
and fairly—and successfully—for archives. 
Her work and partnerships with other Duke 
curators have led to the acquisitions of high-
profile collections, including the Dorothy 
Allison papers, the Meredith Tax papers, the 

records of Ipas, and many other significant 
collections.”

A plaque will be presented to Micham.

Accardi wins WGSS Significant 
Achievement Award
Maria T. Accardi, coordinator of library in-
struction at Indiana University Southeast, is 
the winner of ACRL’s Women and Gender 
Studies Section (WGSS) Award for Signifi-
cant Achievement 
in Woman’s Stud-
ies Librarianship. 
The WGSS award 
honors a significant 
or one-time contri-
bution to women’s 
studies librarian-
ship.

“The committee 
selected Maria T. 
Accardi based on 
her noteworthy ac-
complishment, the 
2013 book Feminist Pedagogy for Library 
Instruction, published by Library Juice 
Press,” said award chair Jennifer Mayer, 
associate librarian at the University of 
Wyoming. “The committee was impressed 
by her book-length treatment of the inter-
section of information literacy and feminist 
theory, which is unique, important, and fills 
a gap in the literature.”

While theoretical, the book is also an 
accessible, practical handbook including 
exercises and assessment strategies,” noted 
Mayer. 

“Accardi’s work also helps readers ap-
ply and integrate feminist pedagogical 
approaches in less-likely places—across 
the curriculum, in online classes, and with 
students who may not identify with femi-
nism or understand the relevance in their 
lives. Committee members valued the wide 
appeal of Accardi’s book. Feminist Peda-
gogy for Library Instruction is a must-read 
for any librarian with interests in feminist 
issues, pedagogy, and library instruction.” 

A plaque will be presented to Accardi.  

Maria T. Accardi
Laura Micham