LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award winner announced

CHICAGO – Robin Sease, currently enrolled in the Information School at the University of Washington, has been named the winner of the 2008 LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award, sponsored by Ex Libris Group and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

Robin Sease’s paper, entitled "Metaphor’s Role in the Information Behavior of Humans Interacting with Computers,” explores the literature on metaphor in the fields of linguistics and cognitive science and examines metaphors in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) to gain insight into human information behavior.

“On behalf of the LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award Committee, I am pleased to recognize Robin’s thoughtful exploration of a fascinating topic with this award. Her interdisciplinary paper is valuable reading to those in libraries who are interested in the impact of metaphors in the exchange of information and systems design,” said Adriene Lim, chair of the award committee.

The LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award recognizes outstanding writing on a topic in the area of libraries and information technology by a student or students enrolled in an ALA-accredited library and information studies graduate program. The winning manuscript will be published in Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL), and the winner will receive $1,000 and a certificate of merit.

“Ex Libris is constantly studying how people interact with computers in order to design highly usable next-generation solutions that provide the most value to users,” said Matti Shem Tov, president and CEO of Ex Libris Group. “Research in this realm, such as that conducted by Ms. Sease, is extremely valuable to the greater library and academic community.”

The award will be presented at the LITA President's Program on Sunday, June 29, at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif.

LITA, with over 4,000 members, has been serving the needs of the library and information technology community since 1966. Its mission is to educate, serve, and reach out to that community through its programs, publications and other activities.