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FLICC announces awards for federal librarianship

Information Outlook, May, 2004

Two libraries and two librarians have won national awards from the Federal Library and Information Center Committee (FLICC).

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

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

Large Library/Information Center Category (with a staff of 11 or more federal and/or contract employees): The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) research library, in Gaithersburg, MD, was recognized for its technological innovations and comprehensive knowledge management systems that proactively provide the tools necessary to support new programs, superior customer service, and the agency mission. The library staff was commended for its work in 2003 on both the design and creation of the NIST Integrated Knowledge EditorialNet (NIKE), an enterprising project designed to facilitate the capture, organization, retrieval, and dissemination of NIST publications; and the Laboratory Liaison program, which promotes collaboration between researchers and the library and enhances collection development and access.

Small Library/Information Center Category (with a staff of 10 or fewer federal and/or contract employees): The Library Services Department at the Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, VA, was recognized for the innovative services and superior customer services it offered in 2003. The library was commended for its provision of knowledge-based resources to optimize military healthcare, promote research and encourage professional growth. The library demonstrated its ability to combine creativity and innovation to meet the needs of its customers and the overall mission of its agency by providing print and electronic resources that support the Medicine, Nursing, and Hospital Corps and training programs; by hosting a semiannual college fair; and by highlighting the scholarly activities of the center, cited authors and publications.

2003 Federal Librarian of the Year: Lillian Woon Gassie, senior systems librarian, Dudley Knox Library, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif., was recognized for her dynamic professionalism during 2003 in articulating the needs of the library to faculty, policymakers, and information technology stakeholders. Gassie provided guidance and technical knowledge as the library developed wireless and remote proxy access to the campus network and implemented a knowledge portal and mobile education teams to support federal and state homeland security policy and strategy. Her extensive technical knowledge brought the highest level of visibility and credibility to the library as a builder of information systems and supported the overall mission of the agency.

2003 Federal Library Technician of the Year: Wilma Riley, library technician, NIST research library, was recognized for her dedication to service excellence in support of the mission of the library and the core values of the NIST Information Services Division. In 2003, Riley set up communications connections for telecommuting staff, ensured that the library wireless technology was current, and provided dynamic end-user training. Her versatility allowed her to translate the library vision into action. As a creative problem solver, she employed her talents and strong technical skills to support a variety of customer-focused activities that reinforce the library successes. The winners' names will remain on permanent display in the FLICC offices at the Library of Congress.

More information is at: www.loc.gov/flicc/awards.html.>