EUGENE, Ore. – (March 2, 2012) – John F. Helmer, executive director of the Orbis Cascade Alliance and long-time University of Oregon librarian, has been named the 2012 winner of the American Library Association’s Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award. The national award recognizes an academic librarian who has made significant contributions in the area of library automation or management and has made notable improvements in library services or research.
“This is perhaps the most prestigious award given to academic librarians, and John’s leadership in the Orbis Cascade Alliance places him on a stellar list of outstanding professionals who have made a major difference for their institutions and for the entire field of librarianship,” said Deborah Carver, Philip H. Knight Dean of Libraries at the UO.
Orbis Cascade Alliance, a consortium of private and public college and university libraries in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, was formed in 2003. With administrative offices housed in the UO Libraries, it serves more than 250,000 full-time students at 37 member institutions.
“John F. Helmer is recognized as an effective leader and champion of new ideas and initiatives in academic libraries,” said Mary Carmen Chimato, Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award committee chair and assistant dean of the University of the Pacific Library. “The committee was impressed with John’s breadth of experience, professional contributions and his ability to facilitate collaboration among alliance members.”
Helmer will receive a cash award and citation at the Library and Information Technology Association Award Ceremony on June 24, 2012, during the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.
MEDIA CONTACT:Ron Renchler, UO Libraries communications, ronr@uoregon.edu, 541-346-1459
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