Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Jan Merrill-Oldham Professional Development Grant

I am delighted to share the news that Helen Bailey, Preservation Specialist, has been awarded the first ever Jan Merrill-Oldham Professional Development Grant.

This award is given by the ALA ALCTS Preservation and Reformatting Section, and is sponsored by the Library Binding Institute. It supports travel to the ALA Annual Conference and is intended to encourage and support librarians and library staff that are new to the preservation field.

The grant was established in 2011 to celebrate the life of Jan Merrill-Oldham, who passed away in October of 2011. Merrill-Oldham was internationally recognized for her leadership on a wide number of areas within the field of preservation, areas as diverse as commercial binding, mass deacidification, digital reformatting, and digital preservation were influenced by her thoughtful and pragmatic approach. Archival Products News dedicated their first issue of the new year to Jan.

Beth Doyle, chair of the selection committee, stated in the award announcement that Helen was recognized as embodying "many of the qualities that Jan herself looked for in her own professionals, a dedication to the field, a passion for continuing education, a willingness to share her knowledge, and an infectious curiosity that infuses her work." Those of us who know Helen wholeheartedly agree.

Congratulations to Helen!

Written by Barb Sagraves.

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