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Memorial Resolution Celebrating Judith S Rowe
Memorial Resolution Celebrating Judith S. Rowe
Whereas the American Library Association (ALA) and broader data community celebrate Judith S. Rowe at her death at the age of 91 on May 5, 2022;
Whereas Judith Rowe was visionary in seeing the role of data collection, distribution, documentation, distribution, interpretation, and preservation as an integral part of research and policy. Because of her actions and attitude, datasets are viewed as important as monographs and serials;
Whereas in 2012 she was awarded the James Bennett Childs Award from the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) which honors an individual who has made a lifetime and significant contribution to the field of documents librarianship: "...Ms. Rowe has published extensively, lobbied intensely, and organized profusely for improved government statistical reporting. For years she has been GODORT's conscience on machine-readable files. She led the way for the creation of the Census Bureaus' State Data Center program in 1979. As GODORT's expert on machine-readable files, she greatly influenced ALA's Association for Library Collections and Services (formerly the Resources and Technical Services Division) cataloging standards for computer files. In all her efforts she has sought to ally libraries with powerful user groups for mutual support.";
Whereas Judith Rowe was the founder of Data and Statistical Services at Princeton University in 1964 and headed the service until her retirement in 1998;
Whereas Judith Rowe was a leader in social science data, serving as a founding member of the International Association for Social Science Information Service and Technology (IASSIST) in 1974 and its president from 1985-1988 as well as holding elected positions in the Association of Public Data Users (APDU) (1980-1982) and the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS) (1982-1983);
Whereas Judith Rowe's work in early social science data organizations laid the foundation for open science and an environment of collaboration between data scientists and librarians. Her influence and prolific writing led to many career honors including the 1997 William H. Flanigan Award for Distinguished Service as an Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) Official Representative; the IASSIST Achievement Award in 2000; and being elected the first non-faculty Official Representative on ICPSR Council (1980-1984);
Whereas Judith Rowe created opportunities for women in the data world that were seen as the domain of male political scientists in the 1960s & 1970s and was also a role model for a new generation of data librarians and archivists about the importance of respecting others regardless of academic status;
Whereas Judith Rowe's legacy is a community committed to working toward safe and open data, building on the vision she articulated and the profession for which she laid the groundwork; and
Whereas Judith S. Rowe led a remarkable life as a pillar of the data community; she was a mentor to many and is remembered fondly for her kindness and feisty good humor as well as her wisdom and profound contribution to the work of data professionals, now, therefore, be it
Resolved, that the American Library Association (ALA), on behalf of its members:
- honors the memory of Judith S. Rowe, celebrating her legacy as an advocate for data's essential role in the scholarly ecosystem; and
- extends its sincerest condolences to her family and friends around the world.
Mover: Jennifer C. Boettcher, Councilor-at-Large, 571 216-3499
Seconder:
Version: 6.16.22, 12:45
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[Jennifer] [Boettcher]
Business Reference Librarian
boettcher@georgetown.edu(202) 687-7495
@jenny.wombat
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