May 3, 2005 FLICC Announces Awards For Federal Librarianship

Contact: Robin Hatziyannis, FLICC Publications and Education (202) 707-4800
Contact: John Sayers, Public Affairs (202) 707-9216;

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 and scholarly communities and the American public.

FLICC honored the award winners at the 22nd Annual FLICC Forum on Federal Information Policies on March 24 at the Library of Congress in Washington, where they received their awards from Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. Their names will also 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 seventh annual FLICC Awards. The winners are listed below.

2004 Federal Library/Information Center of the Year

Large Library/Information Center Category (with a staff of 11 or more federal and/or contract employees): The Dudley Knox Library at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif., is recognized nationally as a leader in the delivery of government and defense information. It provides an information-rich environment for both the Naval Postgraduate School’s student body and the greater Department of Defense worldwide. The library is also cited for taking initiatives that bring a critical mass of content directly to the center of Navy work, including the creation of a Homeland Security Digital Library, the provision of extensive virtual reference services and a significant exhibit on D-Day that raised the visibility of the library not only within the local agency but nationally. Maxine Reneker, the associate provost for Library and Information Resources, and Capt. Steve Linnell, representing Naval Education and Training, accepted the award for the library.

Small Library/Information Center Category (with a staff of 10 or fewer federal and/or contract employees): The Edwards Air Force Base Library, Air Force Material Command, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., is recognized for its innovative services and superior customer services. The library has demonstrated its ability to combine creativity and ingenuity to meet the needs of its military and civilian customers and the overall mission of its agency. The library incorporated five new special collections, launched Edwards Air Force Base's first Web page, created 126 thematic bibliographies and completed a renovation of the facility and of the entire library collection. Tatiana Belabratova, the library director, and Michael Bensen, the director of the 95th Services Division, Edwards Air Force Base, accepted the award for the library.

2004 Federal Librarian of the Year

Barbara D. Wrinkle, chief of the Air Force Libraries Branch at the Air Force Library and Information System, received the award for her dedication to providing the best possible information services to military personnel and their families around the world. Known for her knowledge and professional expertise, she is a top performer, a strong library advocate, a knowledgeable mentor and an outstanding leader. In fiscal year 2004 she made major contributions to the revised Department of Defense Library Strategic plan, the DoD Instruction for Morale, Welfare and Recreations libraries and to a number of library assessment tools. She also saw to the full implementation of the Air Force Library’s Web-based central purchasing, financial management and reporting system, which led to savings of more than $9 million, and initiated the implementation of a library resource center on the Air Force Web portal.

2004 Federal Library Technician of the Year

Mary Alice B. Mendez, the library technician at the Defense Language Institute --English Language Center Library at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, received the award for her dedication to service excellence in support of the mission of the Defense Language Institute–English Language Center Library. As the sole staff member of the library, she not only carried out the normal duties of a technician but also the duties typically performed by a professional librarian, including collection development, acquisitions, cataloging, reference and interlibrary loans. As a creative problem solver, she employed her talents to support a variety of customer focused activities that reinforce the library’s successes.

2005 Awards Program

Information on the 2005 awards 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 2005 nominations 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.

###

PR 05-101
2005-05-03
ISSN 0731-3527