February 27, 2003 Federal Libraries and Information Centers, Librarians and Technicians Win FLICC Awards

The Federal Library and Information Center Committee (FLICC) has announced the winners of its national awards for federal librarianship to recognize the many innovative ways that federal libraries, librarians and library technicians fulfill the information demands of government, business, scholarly communities and the American public.

The award winners will be honored at the 20th Annual FLICC Forum on Federal Information Policies on March 19 at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., where they will receive their awards and be guests of the forum. Their names will remain on permanent display in the FLICC offices at the Library of Congress.

Federal libraries and staff throughout the United States and abroad competed in three award categories for the fourth annual FLICC Awards. The winners are listed below.

2002 Federal Library/Information Center of the Year

Beginning with the Fiscal Year 2002 Awards, FLICC selected winners in two categories: a small library/information center (with a staff of 10 or fewer federal and/or contract employees) and a larger library/information center (with a staff of 11 or more federal and/or contract employees).

Large Library/Information Center Category: The Homer E. Newell Library, NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, is recognized for its promotion of various innovative technologies and approaches to knowledge management. The library developed an extensive Web-based portal that linked a comprehensive project directory of resource and image gallery links with a network of experts. This enhanced the value of the knowledge gained from individual projects for the entire agency. The library is further recognized in fiscal year 2002 for eliminating the boundaries between traditional library support and the need for preserving knowledge unique to the Goddard Space Flight Center.

Small Library/Information Center Category: The James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital Library, Tampa, Florida, is recognized for providing innovative, comprehensive, and customer-focused resources and library services to clinical staff, allied health professionals, patients, families and volunteers. In fiscal year 2002, the library worked directly with the hospital's nursing staff to provide patients with print information to supplement their discussions with their caregivers. The library also created a variety of innovative Web-based services and creative outreach activities for both professionals and patients to deliver knowledge- based information directly to the bedside, and it provided vital support for excellence in patient care, research and education for staff and patients.

2002 Federal Librarian of the Year

Army Librarian Ann Parham is recognized for her leadership and devotion to librarianship as demonstrated by her commitment to excellence in the management of the worldwide U.S. Army Library Program, her advocacy for the restoration of the Pentagon Library, and the innovative librarian training program she orchestrated. In fiscal year 2002, Parham served as an example for the entire federal library community by reaffirming the values and importance of library and information services to management, the user community and the nation. Her initiatives in the wake of the September 11 attack on the Pentagon serve as a model of principled determination and are a credit to the librarian profession.

2002 Federal Library Technician of the Year

Reginald A. Stewart, library technician, U.S. Army Library, Giessen, Germany, is recognized for his visionary approach to improvements and outreach in library services for children. He created a "storymobile" and initiated weekly visits to military housing areas to reach children unable to come to the library for story time. His enthusiastic storytelling and reading program created continuing awareness, interest and visibility of library services in Army communities. In fiscal year 2002, Stewart is commended for expanding the main library's children and adult collections, as well as military dependent elementary and high school libraries, through dedicated and enthusiastic efforts to acquire, select, process, barcode and shelve more than 50,000 volumes from several closed base libraries.

Information on the 2003 award program will be announced later this summer. For the latest information on the awards, interested parties may refer to the FLICC Web site, www.loc.gov/flicc/awards.html, where information regarding the 2003 nomination packet will be posted on the "What's New" section as soon as it becomes available.

The Federal Library and Information Center Committee fosters excellence in federal library and information services through interagency cooperation and provides guidance and direction for the Federal Library and Information Network (FEDLINK). Created in 1965 and headquartered at the Library of Congress, FLICC also makes recommendations on federal library and information policies, programs and procedures to federal agencies and to others concerned with libraries and information centers.