Category: News

Here is the official press release on the Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship. Thanks to Teri Switzer for her very kind words:

For Immediate Release
Mon, 01/25/2016

Contact:

Cheryl Malden
Program Officer
Governance
312-280-3247
cmalden@ala.org

CHICAGO — Dr. R. David Lankes, professor and Dean’s Scholar for New Librarianship at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies and 2016-2017 Follett Chair in Library and Information Sciences at Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Chicago, has been selected to receive the 2016 American Library Association Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship. This prestigious honor is given annually to an individual for a “significant contribution to the public recognition and appreciation of librarianship through professional performance, teaching, and/or writing.”

“It is a privilege and an honor that the Award Jury recognizes Dr. Lankes for his distinguished achievements in the field of Library and Information Science over a career of more than 20 years,” said Teri R. Switzer, chair of the Ken Haycock Award Committee and dean and professor emerita at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. “David has spent the majority of his career advancing librarianship and making us all think about our profession in different ways. David’s commitment to the profession is clearly evident in his teaching, his presentations, his writings, and his service.”

Lankes holds a Ph.D. from Syracuse University, School of Information Studies, and an MS in Telecommunications, also from Syracuse University. In addition to being a faculty member at Syracuse University, Dr. Lankes has also served as a visiting fellow at the National Library of Canada, an adjunct instructor for the OCLC Institute, a visiting scholar at Harvard University’s School of Education, and was the first OITP Fellow at the ALA’s Office of Information Technology Policy. Dr. Lankes’ professional successes, publications, grants and service achievements all support his receiving this award.

As noted in the nomination submitted on his behalf, supporters mentioned, in particular, his 2011 The Atlas of New Librarianship and his leadership of the I LEAD U, a three-year continuing education initiative that addresses the need to expand librarians’ leadership abilities to use technology to effectively engage their libraries’ constituents, as only two of the several librarianship projects in which he has been actively engaged. One supporter stated, “ His presentations, teachings, curriculum development, and writings supporting the growth and development of our esteemed profession not only address technologies and infrastructure, but also re-articulate the core role of librarians in the learning process. In today’s world of databases, electronic resources, intellectual property concerns, digital rights management, and efforts of cross border cooperation, it is easy to lose sight of the vision and motivating principles that drew many of us to the profession. David steadfastly draws his readers and listeners back to the core.” Another letter summed up Lankes’ broad achievements by saying, “Having worked with him in various settings, I see the many ways he has taught, inspired, and challenged librarians – those still in their graduate programs, those new in the profession, and those who have been in the profession a long time – all have benefitted from David’s unparalleled methods of teaching and inspiring us al to greatness.”

Members of the Ken Haycock Award Jury are: Nancy Bolt, Nancy M. Bolt & Associates, Denver, Colorado; Nicolas H. Buron, Dorothy M. Persson, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; Thomas T. Suprenant, Queens College, Graduate School of Library & Information Studies, Flushing, New York; and Teri R. Switzer, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.

The Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship will be presented to David Lankes at the ALA Award Ceremony and Reception on Sunday, June 26,, during the Annual Conference in Orlando.

The deadline for submission of applications for the 2017 Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship is Dec. 1, 2016. Guidelines and application forms are available on the ALA website.

I am very proud to announce that I have received the 2016 Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship from the American Library Association. From ALA’s award page:

The Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship was established in 2004 and recognizes an individual who has contributed significantly to the public recognition and appreciation of librarianship through professional performance, teaching or writing. Former award recipients include Nancy Kranich (2015), former ALA president; Wendy Newman (2011), former Canadian Library Association president; Michael Gorman (2010), former American Library Association president; and Mary Dempsey (2007), former Chicago library commissioner.

That is some humbling company. My thanks go out to the award committee and those who nominated me. Also a special thank you to Ken Haycock who will always be one the profession’s greatest champions.

Award Home Page

Dr. R. David Lankes, professor, Dean’s Scholar for the New Librarianship at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies has accepted appointment as the holder of the 2016-17 Follett Chair in Library and Information Science. This prestigious appointment is the highest academic honor bestowed by Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science upon a master researcher and scholar who has achieved renown in the profession. The Follett Chair is selected annually for his or her outstanding teaching ability and superior scholarly achievement.

Lankes is the author of The Atlas of New Librarianship and Expect More (among many other publications), and is a strong advocate for innovation and excellence in twenty-first century libraries. Lankes has done research for the National Science Foundation, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, The U.S. Department of Education, The U.S. Department of Defense, The American Library Association, and the MacArthur Foundation among others. He has held positions as a visiting scholar at Harvard University’s School of Education, a visiting fellow at the National Library of Canada, and was named the first fellow at the American Library Association’s Office for Information Technology Policy. He earned B.F.A., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from Syracuse University.

“I am excited about the timing of bringing Dr. Lankes to GSLIS at a time of growth and innovation while we continue to celebrate and enhance our commitment to the core principles and values of librarianship,” says GSLIS Dean Kate Marek. “David Lankes will continue the tradition of enhanced excellence and visibility the Follett Chair brings to GSLIS.” Lankes adds, “I can’t wait to work with the outstanding faculty, students, and staff at Dominican. There is so much power and potential in the Chicago area, and so many open partners to work with across librarianship.”

As Follett Chair, Lankes plans to focus on “New Librarianship @ Dominican,” which will feature a year-long program of activities designed to serve librarians and library science students of the Chicago region, reinforce Dominican’s dedication to librarianship in the midst of an expanded information environment, and advise GSLIS as the school and its programs evolve to accommodate and lead in such an environment. A cornerstone of the planned activities includes coursework that will connect GSLIS students with practitioners in teams across the Chicagoland area, in all types of libraries and information settings. Dr. Lankes will also present the 2017 Follett Lecture, which will take place in the spring semester of the 2016-17 academic year.

About GSLIS

Dominican University’s GSLIS is distinguished by innovative practice and research and has been educating future library leaders and information professionals since the 1930s. The school offers an American Library Association–accredited master’s degree in library and information science, a master of professional studies degree, specialized certificates, and a doctoral degree in library and information science.

About Follett

Follett Corporation is more than 10,000 talented and dedicated associates who strive day in and day out to simplify the delivery of education for customers everywhere by anticipating their needs and then delivering solutions that their expectations. For more than 135 years, Follett has been helping to improve people’s lives by supporting a lifetime of learning and education. Through dedication to serving every path and level of learning, we touch the lives of millions of students ranging from adults taking classes on college campuses and in cyberspace to grade school children surfing the Internet in their school library.