Each year, the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) recognizes outstanding librarians or library staff who work with government information. I am honored to announce this year's award recipients. Each has made lasting impacts on their colleagues, patrons, and organizations, as well as the profession of librarianship, particularly government information librarianship.
Dan Barkley: James Bennett Childs Award
The James Bennett Childs award honors an individual who has made a lifetime and significant contribution to the field of documents librarianship, making Dan a perfect fit for this honor. Dan served much of his career as the Regional Depository Coordinator at the University of New Mexico (UNM) where he provided support to selective libraries across New Mexico. Upon his retirement from UNM in 2015, Dan stepped into the role as the Assistant Project Manager for the Technical Report Archive and Image Library (TRAIL). In this role, Dan assists in managing the inventorying, cataloging, and distribution of technical reports for digitization. Dan has always been an outspoken, passionate supporter of government information. He was able to formalize this support as a member of the Depository Library Council (DLC) from 2001 to 2004, through scholarship in the field of librarianship, and as an active member of GODORT. One of Dan's nominators remarked that his career in government documents librarianship "demonstrated his willingness to lead and be of service to the profession."
Blaine Redemer: Bernadine Abbott Hoduski Founders AwardThe Bernadine Abbott Hoduski Founders Award recognizes documents librarians who may not be known at the national level but who have made significant contributions to the field of state, international, local, or federal documents. Blaine Redemer served as the Federal Regional Depository Librarian for the State of Illinois while simultaneously carrying out the responsibilities of managing the documents program for publications of the State of Illinois. Blaine weathered rough times when he was faced with continuing operations when the state of Illinois was without a budget for more than 2-years. Blaine also assisted in expanding the Electronic Documents of Illinois, which provides a means for state agencies to deposit born-digital materials and secures public access to these publications. One of his nominators described him "as an exemplary depository coordinator" who "helped support a small state documents community in Illinois." Blaine is commended for his commitment to supporting the state depository program as well as serving Illinois' FDLs as a regional coordinator in good times and bad.
Bobby Griffith: Documents to the People (DttP) Award
The ProQuest/GODORT/ALA "Documents to the People" Award is a tribute to someone who has most effectively encouraged the use of government documents in support of library service. This year's DttP awardee, Bobby Griffith began his career in government documents at the University of North Texas in 1984. For the past 38 years, he has been tireless in encouraging the use of government information at UNT and beyond. His detailed research skills, willingness to go the extra mile, and encyclopedic knowledge of the UNT collections, make Bobby the go-to for research assistance by faculty, librarians, and prisoners from across the country. Bobby's outreach efforts are among the best illustrations of his work in encouraging the use of gov info. He assists with events and voter registration drives, presents sessions for the FDLP Academy, and serves as part of the Government Information Online (GIO) team. Bobby also creates displays, presentations, and LibGuides that frame government information in ways users might not imagine. One of Bobby's nominations noted "his contributions in service, outreach, and scholarship have benefited so many and demonstrate a lifetime of dedication to promoting awareness and access to government information."
We invite you to learn more about
GODORT's award and scholarship opportunities and
past award winners.
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Robbie Sittel
Librarian
University of North Texas Libraries
She/Her/Hers
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