ALA Medal of Excellence

American Library Association award

The ALA Medal of Excellence is an annual award bestowed by the American Library Association for recent creative leadership of high order, particularly in the fields of library management, library training, cataloging and classification, and the tools and techniques of librarianship.[1] It was first awarded in 1953 to Ralph R. Shaw, Director of the National Agriculture Library.

The award name was changed in 2020 from the Melvil Dewey Medal to the ALA Medal of Excellence.[2]

Loida Garcia-Febo - ALA Medal of Excellence, 2024
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, ALA Medal of Excellence, 2017
James G. Neal -ALA Medal of Excellence, 2009
Ralph Robert Shaw - ALA Medal of Excellence, 1953

List of recipients

ALA Medal of Excellence (formerly Melvil Dewey Medal) Date Major Accomplishments
Loida Garcia-Febo[3] 2024 President, American Library Association, President, REFORMA, International librarianship consultant.
Kelvin Watson[4] 2023 “Achievement for recent creative leadership of high order" as Executive Director, Las Vegas-Clark County Library District
Judith Cannan [5] 2022 Library of Congress-Chief, Policy, Training and Cooperative Programs Division for "Spearheading: the transition from AACR2 to Resource Description and Access, move of original RDA to new Tool Kit, from MARC to linked data, -- the most monumental achievements in cataloging in recent decades.”
No Award 2021
No Award 2020
Award Name Changed 2020 The American Library Association Council voted at the 2019 Annual Conference to remove the name of American Library Association cofounder Melvil Dewey[6] from the Melvil Dewey Medal citing his well-documented history of racism, anti- Semitism. and sexual harassment.[7]
June Garcia [8] 2019 Developed international Network of Emerging Library Innovators of Gates’ Foundation's Global Libraries, Director San Antonio Public Library
Carla J. Stoffle[9] 2018 Dean of Libraries and Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona, Joseph W. Lippincott Award.
Carla Hayden[10] 2017 Librarian of Congress
Robert R. Newlen [11] 2016 Chief of staff at the Library of Congress
Hwa-Wei Lee[12][13] 2015 Ohio University Libraries, Hwa-Wei Lee Center for International Collections
Robert A. Wolven [14] 2014 Digital Content and Libraries Working Group, Library of Congress’ Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control, HathiTrust
Beacher J.E. Wiggins 2013 Historic merger of acquisitions and cataloging functions Library of Congress; U.S. National Libraries RDA Test Coordinating Committee; New Bibliographic Framework Initiative Library of Congress Bicentennial Conference on Bibliographic Control for the New Millennium.[15]
Beverly P. Lynch[16] 2012 Training dozens library leaders as director of the UCLA Senior Fellows program; founding director of the California Rare Book School, chair of ALA's International Relations Committee, founder of the US-China Librarians’ conference series.
Deanna B. Marcum[17] 2011 Creation of Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control at Library of Congress, President of the Council on Library and Information Resources[18]
Brian E.C. Schottlaender 2010 President, Association of Research Libraries[19]
James G. Neal 2009 Advisor to U.S. delegation at the World Intellectual Property Organization U.S. Copyright Office 108 Study Group.
Sandra Nelson [20] 2008 Public Library Association Results series, public library development.[21]
Sarah Thomas[22] 2007 Bodley's Librarian and Director of the Bodleian Libraries.
John D. Byrum [23] 2006 Library of Congress, Chief Regional and Cooperative Cataloging Division, Program for Cooperative Cataloging.
Joan S. Mitchell 2005 Editor of the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system.[24]
Sally H. McCallum [25] 2004 Chief of Network Development and MARC Standards Office Library of Congress.
David A. Smith [26] 2003 Chief of the decimal classification division at the Library of Congress.
James F. Williams II [27] 2002 Founding member and creator of SPARC the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition.
Herman L. Totten [28] 2001 Regents professor and associate dean for the school of library and information sciences at the University of North Texas.[29]
Paul Sybrowsky [30] 2000 Cofounder of Dynix, founder of Snowbird Institute, Ameritech Library Services, President of the board of trustees for the Provo City Library.
Helen Moeller 1999 Director of the LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library, FL.[31]
Winston Tabb[32] 1998 Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) at the Library of Congress
Robert Wedgeworth[33] 1997 Executive Director, American Library Association, Dean of the School of Library Service at Columbia University Director at the University of Illinois Library—working toward the improvement of library services through adoption of the information technology of the day.
No Awards 1996-1997
Frank Phillips Grisham [34] 1994 Executive director of SOLINET, Director, Vanderbilt University Library
No Award 1993
Michael Gorman 1992 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules; Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the 21st Century. [35]
Lucia J. Rather[36] 1991 Director for Cataloging at Library of Congress, developed the character set of diacritical marks and special characters used with the MARC format.[37]
Helen Schmierer“[38] 1990 Greatest contribution to protocols of AACR2. Major contributor to Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR, systems/planning analyst, Brown University Library.
Robert R. McClarren [39] 1989 “Toward Cooperative Collection Development in the Illinois Library and Information Network.” [40]Robert R. McClarren Legislative Development Award.
Herbert Goldhor[41] 1988 An Introduction to Scientific Research in Librarianship,[42]Research Methods in Librarianship: Measurement and Evaluation.[43][44]
Herbert S. White[45] 1987 Managing the Special Library: Strategies for Success Within the Larger Organization.,[46] Executive Director of NASA Scientific and Technical Information Facility.
Richard De Gennaro [47] 1986 "Library automation & networking: perspectives on three decades."[48] Research Libraries Enter the Information Age. [49]
Joseph H. Howard 1985 Chief, Library of Congress Descriptive cataloging division [50]
Warren J. Haas [51] 1984 President Council on Library Resources[52]
Edward G. Holley 1983 Dean UNC School of Information and Library Science,[53]
Sarah K. Vann[54] 1982 Field survey of Dewey Decimal Classification System Use Abroad.[55]
Henriette Avram 1981 Developed MARC format (Machine Readable Cataloging), Associate Librarian for Collections Services, Library of Congress.[56]
Robert D. Stueart[57] 1980 Information Needs of the 80s: Libraries and Information Services Role in “Bringing Information to People [58]
Russell Bidlack [59] 1979 Historical Background of the A.L.A. Catalog.[60]
Frederick G. Kilgour 1978 President of OCLC[61]
Seymour Lubetzky 1977 Cataloging theorist ranked among the greatest minds in library science.[62]
Louis Round Wilson[63] 1976 Dean, University of Chicago Graduate Library School
No Award 1975
Robert B. Downs[64] 1974 "creative professional achievement of a high order"[65]
Virginia Lacy Jones[66] 1973 "for creative professional achievements of high order." Dean, Atlanta University School of Library Sciences,[67]
Jerrold Orne[68] 1972 Chaired Z39 Committee, precursor to National Information Standards Organization
William J. Welsh [69] 1971 Deputy Librarian of Congress, major role in renovation Jefferson Building, development of deacidification process, pilot project optical disk technology.[70]
Joseph H. Treyz[71] 1970 Books for College Libraries[72]
William S. Dix[73] 1969 Primary author of The Freedom to Read statement.[74]
Jesse H. Shera[75] 1968 "Professional creative achievement."[76]
Walter Herbert Kaiser [77] 1967 "Statistical Trends of Large Public Libraries."[78]
Lucile M. Morsch 1966 Deputy Chief Assistant Librarian of Congress, Rules for Descriptive Cataloging in the Library of Congress
Bertha Margaret Frick[79] 1965 Editor, Sears' List of Subject Headings for H.W. Wilson, member Dewey Decimal Editorial Policy Committee, professor Columbia University.
John W. Cronin[80] 1964 Director, processing department Library of Congress, also chief of the Card Division. Supervised editing of original 167-volume Catalog of Books Represented by Library of Congress Printed Cards.
Frank Bradway Rogers[81] 1963 Director of the National Library of Medicine, Laid foundation for MEDLARS, Director of the Armed Forces Medical Library.[82]
Leon Carnovsky[83] 1962 "For long standing achievement as editor, author, teacher and consultant in bibliographical matters."[84]
Julia C. Pressey[85] 1961 Head, Office for D.C. numbers. Library of Congress
Harriet E. Howe [86] 1960 “The Library School Curriculum.” [87]
Benjamin A. Custer[88] 1959 Editor, Dewey Decimal Classification, Chief of the Decimal Classification Division, Library of Congress.[89]
Janet S. Dickson 1958 Chairman of the Advisory Committee on the Decimal Classification [90]
Wyllis E. Wright [91] 1957 "A librarian's librarian," Wright was President, Association of College and Research Libraries.Chairman, Joint Committee on the Union List of Serials, the DCC Board on Cataloging Policy and Research, the Catalog Code Revision Committees; and editor of Catalogers' and Classifier's Yearbook, and American Library Annual.[92]"Invaluable contributions to the evolution of the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules. [93] Librarian at Williams College.
Norah Albanell MacColl 1956 Sistema De Clasificación Decimal Dewey : Tablas E Índice Alfabético Auxiliar[94]
Maurice Tauber[95] 1955 Developer of technical services units and how they evolved in the 20th century. Professor at Columbia University.
Herman H. Fussler[96] 1954 Director, University of Chicago libraries, Dean, University of Chicago Graduate Library School, helped create the Center for Research Libraries.U.S. National Advisory Commission on Libraries.[97]
Ralph R. Shaw 1953 Director, U.S. National Agricultural Library, Dean, Rutgers University Department of Library and Information Science, Founder, Scarecrow Press[98]

References

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  2. ^ Albanese, Andrew (2019-06-24). "ALA Votes to Strip Melvil Dewey's Name From Its Top Honor". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
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  4. ^ Kelvin Watson Wins ALA Medal of Excellence Award American Library Association, April 24, 2023.
  5. ^ Judith Cannan wins ALA Medal of Excellence Award American Library Association, April 29, 2022.
  6. ^ Wiegand, Wayne A. (1996). Irrepressible reformer: a biography of Melvil Dewey. Chicago: American Library Association.
  7. ^ “Dewey Medal Name to Change.” 2020. American Libraries 51 (1/2): 30.
  8. ^ June Garcia wins Melvil Dewey Award. American Library Association, March 12, 2019.
  9. ^ Carla J. Stoffle wins 2018 Melvil Dewey Medal American Library Association, May 7, 2018.
  10. ^ Carla Hayden receives the 2017 Melvil Dewey Medal American Library Association. May 20, 2017.
  11. ^ Robert Newlen receives the Melvil Dewey Medal American Library Association, February 20, 2015.
  12. ^ Hwa-Wei Lee receives the Melvil Dewey Medal.American Library Association, February 20, 2015.
  13. ^ Ohio University Libraries mourns the passing of Dean Emeritus Dr. Hwa-Wei Lee Ohio University. January 12, 2024.
  14. ^ Robert Wolven receives the Melvil Dewey Medal American Library Association, February 25, 2014
  15. ^ Wiggins, Beacher. “Managing Cataloging and Cataloging Operations-2000 and Beyond at the Library of Congress.” Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 30, no. 1 (2000): 3–17.
  16. ^ Beverly P. Lynch receives the 2012 Melvil Dewey Medal Award American Library Association, March 22, 2012.
  17. ^ Deanna B. Marcum receives the 2011 Melvil Dewey Medal Award American Library Association, March 22, 2011
  18. ^ Groves, Kaylyn (2022-08-29). "Memorial: Deanna Bowling Marcum, 1946–2022". Association of Research Libraries. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  19. ^ Layne, Sara Shatford. 1999. “Brian E. C. Schottlaender: Politics and Philosophy of Bibliographic Control, a Conversation.” Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 28 (4): 71–89.
  20. ^ 2008 Melvil Dewey Medal Award recipient named American Library Association, May 15, 2008.
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  34. ^ Memorial: Frank Phillips Grisham, 1928–2020 Association of Research Libraries, November 12, 2020.
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  81. ^ Rogers, Frank Bradway. 1963. “Dr Frank B. Rogers Retired from Post at NLM.” Wilson Library Bulletin 38 (September): 29.
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