23 October 2000

Pool of librarians win awards

Four Australian librarians who have contributed significantly to higher education received awards from the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), at its biennial conference, held in Canberra from 23 to 26 October 2000.

Library educator, John Levett, received the HCL Anderson Award, the highest honour of the Association. Levett was formerly director of the Department of Librarianship in the University of Tasmania and chair of the Department of Librarianship, Archives and Records in Monash University. He edits the Australian Library Journal.

The state librarian of New South Wales, Dagmar Schmidmaier, and the Sydney University librarian, John Shipp were both made fellows of the Association. Schmidmaier has enhanced the services of the State Library by providing empirical data on their effectiveness and has revitalised the public programs. Her 30-year career in libraries is marked by innovation. She was an early user of information technology and, in the seventies, taught its library applications to students at Kuringai-Chase College of Advanced Education (a forerunner of the UTS). Using her experience in technology, education and librarianship, she transformed library service to New South Wales TAFE students in the 1980s. She was appointed general manager and later director of the Opening Training and Education Network. She is an honorary professor at the University of Technolgy, Sydney and a member of the New South Wales Board of Studies, and has provided advice to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on distance education.

Sydney University librarian John Shipp receives his fellowship for services to university libraries, through his management of the University of Wollongong Library (for whom he won an Australian Business Excellence award in 1996) and from 1997, in his present position. As vice-president and president of the Council of Australian University Librarians, he has lobbied vigorously for funding for tertiary libraries and, as a member of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, for the defence of the principle of access to information in World Intellectual Property Organisation negotiations.

His successor at the University of Wollongong, Felicity McGregor, has been chosen as ALIA Manager of the Year. Her awards for her consultative management style, linked to quality library service, include recognition of international best practice as an 'Investor in People', one of only six Australian managers to receive this British-based accreditation. Her achievements include the opening, this year, of a new library and two access centres to serve South Coast tertiary students. She has worked with TAFE and local councils to expand this student service.