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University Libraries Receive Prestigious Award

January 29, 2009
University Libraries Receive Prestigious "Excellence in Academic Libraries" Award

The University of Minnesota Libraries have received the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) 2009 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award. 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.

?Receiving an Excellence in Academic Libraries Award is a national tribute to a library and its staff for the outstanding services, programs and leadership they provide to their students, administrators, faculty and community,? said ACRL Executive Director Mary Ellen K. Davis. ?It is wonderful to learn of the innovative programs and services being offered by these three exemplary institutions.?

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.

?The libraries understand the importance of the process of conducting scholarship and have implemented programs to support behaviors rather than product,? said Pamela Snelson, chair of the 2009 Excellence in Academic Libraries Selection Committee and college librarian at Franklin & Marshall College. ?By ?getting in the flow of users,? the libraries have moved out of their comfort zone and shifted into an engagement-centered model for all library services and programs.?

"We?re immensely proud of the success we?ve had in integrating our expertise and resources into the life of the campus,? said Wendy Pradt Lougee, university librarian and McKnight presidential professor at the University of Minnesota. ?To have our staff?s innovative work recognized by the ACRL community is quite simply wonderful."

The Libraries will receive $3,000 and a plaque, presented at an award ceremony to be scheduled on campus in the spring, as well as special recognition at the ACRL President?s Program during the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, July 13, in Chicago.

Download the award nomination (PDF; 2.2MB)

Source: News from the Libraries

Full post as published by LexLibris on January 29, 2009 (boomark / email).