1999 RUSA Award Recipients
Note: Some award names have changed because of sponsors' name changes. We have left the names as they were at the time the award was given. Use the drop-down menu below, to find the award recipient information.
The Dartmouth Medal
American National Biography, edited by John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes, published by Oxford University Press is the 1999 recipient of the Dartmouth Medal. The medal, donated by Dartmouth College, is given for creating current reference works of outstanding quality and significance.
"The twenty-four volumes of the American National Biography are a monumental achievement," said Richard Bleiler, chair of the award committee. "With more than 17,450 biographies written by over 6,100 distinguished scholars and writers, the twenty million words of the American National Biography provide a portrait of the incredible diversity of the men and women who have in some way shaped the history and development of the United States. Though published in the waning years of the twentieth century, the American National Biography is a reference work for all times."
Bleiler also announced three winners of the Dartmouth Honorable Mention. They are International Encyclopedia of Dance, a project of Dance Perspectives Foundation, Inc., founding editor Selma Jeanne Cohen, published by Oxford University Press; Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, general editor Edward Craig, published by Routledge; and The Columbia Gazetteer of the World, edited by Saul B. Cohen, published by Columbia University Press.
Bleiler stated, "The six volumes of the International Encyclopedia of Dance provide in-depth, comprehensive information of the highest-quality about a field of endeavor that has hitherto been largely undocumented. The International Encyclopedia of Dance provides thousands of entries on the history of dance in various countries, interpretative essays on historical subjects and thematic motifs."
"With over 2,000 scholarly entries, the ten volumes of the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy provide a comprehensive overview of the history and current state of the world of philosophy. The editor's introduction states that "our aim throughout has been to build the most convenient bridge possible between the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the rest of the vast corpus of philosophical literature," and in this, his contributors and he have been eminently successful," noted Bleiler.
Bleiler stated, "There has long been a need for an updating of the Columbia Lippincott Gazetteer, and the three volumes of the Columbia Gazetteer of the World are an exemplary achievement, updating all of the original entries and offering more than 30,000 new entries. The resulting work is unprecedented in its scholarly apparatus. It might also be mentioned that such significant imaginary places as Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, are described."
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Denali Press Award
 Puerto Rico Past and Present: An Encyclopedia published by Greenwood Press and written by Ronald Fernandez, Serafin Mendez Mendez, and Gail Cueto, is the 1999 recipient of the Denali Press Award presented by the Reference and User Services Association, a division of the American Library Association.
The award, $500 and a plaque donated by The Denali Press, recognizes reference works of outstanding quality and significance that provide information specifically about ethnic and minority groups in the United States.
"Puerto Rico Past and Present: An Encyclopedia provides authoritative information about Puerto Rican culture, history and politics," said Lisa Pillow, chair of the award committee. "Although Puerto Ricans comprise the second largest group of Latinos living in the United States, few reference works have focused on them. Puerto Rico Past and Present: An Encyclopedia is written in English, making it accessible to a wider number of library patrons in the United States."
Fernandez is professor of Sociology, Mendez is associate professor of Communication, and Cueto is assistant professor of Education at Central Connecticut State University.
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Disclosure/Primark Student Travel Award
 Christina Mehta Prendiville, a student at the University of Maryland College of Library and Information Services, is the 1999 recipient of the Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS) Disclosure Student Travel Award presented by the Reference and Users Services Association, a division of the American Library Association.
The award, $1,000 donated by Disclosure, Inc., enables a student in an ALA-accredited master's program who is interested in a career as a business librarian to attend an American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference.
"Ms. Prendiville is an enthusiastic and focused student with the goal of becoming a business librarian," said Craig Wilkins, chair of the award committee. "Her track record in library school is impressive and already shows a commitment to the profession."
Prendiville currently serves as a graduate assistant in the College of Library and Information Services and the Robert H. Smith School of Business.
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Facts on File Grant
 New Mexico State University Library, Las Cruces, is the 1999 recipient of the Facts On File Grant, presented by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association. The $2,000 grant, donated by Facts On File, Inc., is given to a library for a proposal that makes current affairs more meaningful to an adult audience.
"Celebrating Our Southwest/Border Cultures" is the title of the winning proposal. Christine Bulson, chair of the award committee, stated, "The grant will offer an informal forum for residents of the New Mexico/Texas/Northern Mexico border area to showcase and discuss current information on humanities topics unique to the Southwest/border area."
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The Gale Group Award for Excellence in Business Librarianship
 Priscilla Cheng Geahigan, Consumer & Family Sciences and Psychological Sciences librarian and professor of Library Science at Purdue University, is the 1999 recipient of The Gale Group Award for Excellence in Business Librarianship.
The award, a citation and $1,000 donated by The Gale Group, is given to an individual for distinguished activities in the field of business librarianship.
"Professor Geahigan's books, articles and indexes have improved and enhanced the professional capabilities of librarians and her proactive participation in BRASS has been an inspiration to all who have worked with her," stated Lynn C. Hattendorf Westney, award committee chair. "We salute Professor Geahigan for her 20 years of recognized leadership in business information services at Purdue University. From this vantage point, she has shared and promoted her vision of the components of exemplary business reference service."
Geahigan has a BA in English and sociology from Hong Kong Baptist College, a MA in education from Central Michigan University, and a MSLS from Wayne State University. She received the 1990 Moriarty Award for Excellence in Library Services at Purdue University.
She is the author of American Business Climate and Economic Profiles and U.S. and Canadian Businesses, 1955 to 1987: A Bibliography.
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The Gale Group Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Library Services
New Orleans Public Library in New Orleans, Louisiana, is the 1999 recipient of The Gale Group Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Services for its Genealogical Materials in the New Orleans Public Library's Louisiana Division and City Archives.
The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) annually presents the $1,000 monetary award and a citation donated by The Gale Group to a library or library system for developing an imaginative and unique library resource to meet patrons' reference needs.
"Genealogical Materials in the New Orleans Public Library's Louisiana Division and City Archives" is a handsome, well-organized, easy-to-use introduction to and inventory of a wide array of materials and collections, many of them unique, which are owned and made accessible by that library. Both beginning and experienced genealogists should benefit from the concise descriptions of the contents of records and archives to be found there. The on-line version includes the print edition as well as links to hundreds of other genealogical resources at locations on the Internet." described H. Joanne Harrar, chair of the award committee.
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Genealogical Publishing Company/History Section Award
 Thomas J. Muth, retired director of the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, is the 1999 recipient of the Genealogical Publishing Co./History Section Award presented by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) of the American Library Association (ALA).
The award, $1,000 and a citation donated by The Genealogical Publishing Company, is given to encourage, recognize and commend professional achievement in historical reference and research librarianship.
"Muth's outstanding contribution to the History Section is evidence of his dedication to assisting public service librarians in providing quality reference service to their patrons interested in history," stated Margaret Ann Reinert, award committee chair.
Muth has been active in the History Section for over 25 years. In addition to serving as section chair and member of the History Executive Committee, Muth served on the Isadore Mudge-R.R. Bowker Award Committee, the Membership Committee and the Awards Coordinating Committee.
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Margaret E. Monroe Library Adult Services Award
 Ann Bradshaw, team leader, information services, Dallas County Community College District, is the 1999 recipient of the Margaret E. Monroe Library Adult Services Award administered by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).
The award, a citation, is given to a librarian who has made a significant contribution to and made an impact on library service to adults.
"Ms. Bradshaw demonstrated outstanding leadership in involving users in decisions about the selection and implementation of a new online library system for the Dallas County Community College District libraries," said Ann Coder, chair of award committee. "She is committed to a user-centered library system."
Bradshaw was recognized as the Dallas County Community College District Service Center Innovator of the Year for 1998. She has served as chair of the Texas Library Association Cataloging Roundtable and secretary to the AHE Cataloging Subcommittee.
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Isadore Gilbert Mudge–R. R. Bowker Award
 Virginia Massey-Burzio, head of the resources services department, Johns Hopkins University, is the 1999 recipient of the Isadore Gilbert Mudge–R.R. Bowker Award presented by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).
The award, $1,500 and a citation, donated by R.R. Bowker, recognizes distinguished contributions to reference librarianship.
"Ms. Massey-Burzio's contributions to reference librarianship are both imaginative and constructive, and have had a profound influence on her staff and library patrons," said Susan Miller, chair of the award committee. "As the creator and developer of the Brandeis model of tiered reference services, Massey-Burzio demonstrates that the quest to improve reference services at one library may have far-reaching applications and consequences."
Massey-Burzio holds a bachelor's of arts degree in English and American literature from Trinity College and a master's in library science from Drexel University.
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Reference Service Press Award
 Jennifer Mendelsohn, head, Noranda Earth Sciences Library, University of Toronto is the 1999 recipient of the Reference Service Press Award, presented by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) of the American Library Association.
The award, a plaque and $1,000 donated by Reference Service Press, is given to the author of the most outstanding article published in Reference and User Services Quarterly, (previously RQ) RUSA's quarterly journal, during the preceding two-volume years.
Mendelsohn received the award for "Perspectives on Quality of Reference Service in an Academic Library: A Qualitative Study" published in Summer 1997 RQ, volume 36, number 4 (pages 544–57).
"Mendelsohn's article reflects the reality of work at the reference desk in an academic library, and offers an alternative method of evaluating quality service," stated Marian Shemberg, chair of the award committee. "In her qualitative study, Mendelsohn gives the perspective of both patron and librarian and offers a combination of models of reference service."
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John Sessions Memorial Award
 Libraries for the Future is the 1999 recipient of the John Sessions Memorial Award presented by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The award is given for outstanding service to the labor community.
Libraries for the Future is being honored for a project it produced with the AFL-CIO/ALA Joint Committee on Library Service to Labor Groups. Libraries for the Future developed and distributed materials about Labor History Month and the need for public libraries to serve working people and their organizations. (An updated version of “A Selected Bibliography for a Public Library Labor Studies Collection” can be found at www.englewoodlibrary.org/newsspecial.html.)
"The award winner is unique this year in that it rewards a collaborative effort, that of bringing together labor folks and libraries by emphasizing the worth of each to the other. It required a massive effort on the part of Libraries for the Future and the AFL-CIO/ALA Joint Committee on Library Service to Labor Groups," said Carol Krismann, chair of the award committee.
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Louis Shores–Oryx Press Award
 Brian E. Coutts (pictured at left) and John B. Richard are the 1999 recipients of the Louis Shores–Oryx Press Award, presented by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). Dr. Coutts is professor and head of the Department of Library Public Services at Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green. Richard is director of East Baton Rouge Parish Library, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The award, $1,000 and a citation donated by Oryx Press, is given to an individual, team or organization to recognize excellence in the reviewing of books and other materials for libraries. Established in 1990, the award is named for Louis Shores, editor-in-chief of Colliers Encyclopedia from 1960 to 1981, and dean of the Florida State University Library School from 1946 to 1967.
Hope Yelich, chair of the Louis Shores–Oryx Press Award Committee explained that the award was given to Coutts and Richard "in recognition of their body of work as review editors for the annual Library Journal feature article "Best Reference Sources of 19__," which they have compiled since 1989."
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