23 October 2000

Wollongong University librarians win awards

Two librarians who have headed the University of Wollongong Library have won awards at the biennial conference of the Australian Library and Information Association, held in Canberra this week.

The current university librarian, Felicity McGregor has been chosen as ALIA Manager of the Year 2000. Her linkage of staff management to quality client service has won her a number of awards, including the international best practice standard, Investor in People - the first library manager in Australia and only one of six Australian organisations to receive this British-based accreditation.

The previous Wollongong University librarian, now librarian at the University of Sydney, John Shipp, has been made a fellow of the Association, for his contribution to university librarianship, both in Australia and overseas. As well as heading the two libraries, his work for the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) and for the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has included a successful defence of the principles of access to information in the World Intellectual Property Organisation negotiations, as well as ongoing lobbying for appropriate funding for research libraries.