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ULA award recipients for 2000 are:
The Utah Library Association Governor's Award for Promotion of Reading
Utah Governor Mike Leavitt and his wife Jacalyn have been selected to receive the Utah Library Association's 1999-2000 Promotion of Reading Award. The Leavitt's are the first to be recognized for their efforts to improve literacy skills among Utah children. They have worked to promote family literacy, to acquire new materials for school libraries, and to obtain additional funds to improve the reading ability of Utah's children.
ULA DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
Max Peterson, Director of Libraries, Utah State University
Max Peterson has developed and sustained a sterling record of leadership, achievement, vision, and most importantly, service to the library profession, community, and state for nearly 36 years. A hallmark of Mr. Peterson's career and legacy is his remarkable ability to empower individuals. The net result of this unique leadership quality is that he has provided literally hundreds of individuals the opportunity to grow, develop, contribute, and gain recognition in areas that have benefitted personal and professional lives, the library profession, and society. One of his colleagues recently wrote, "Just as important as everything Max does is how he does it. He recognizes the worth of every individual; he stresses commitment to service in every employee; students, colleagues, staff, and community all are treated with great warmth and respect by Max. With his staff he is quick to note talents and aptitudes, and he makes sure that those qualities are allowed to grow and be cultivated. The result is a staff that is committed to programs because they are personally involved in them from the start. The loyalty that Max inspires in staff translates into commitment and energy." Max Peterson's leadership, commitment to service, and genuine value placed on individual worth and participation can be transferred to his association with innumerable individuals, areas of interest, and projects. He began as a cataloger and advanced to Head of Circulation Services, then to Associate Director, and finally to Director of Library and Information Services. Since 1981 Max has been a member of the governing board of the Utah Academic Library Consortium (UALC) and twice served as the Chair. He was the leading force in organizing and bringing to the state a Utah Chapter of the Association of College and Research Libraries and has been a strong supporter of ULA. Mr. Peterson was one of the chief investigators in a Kellogg Foundation Grant that funded history graduate students in collecting oral histories from older communities. Scholars world-wide visit and use the Folklore Program and Collection/Archive that he was instrumental in establishing. Max has done more locally to popularize Cowboy Poetry and Song than anyone else and has brought it to the forefront of academics and made it a viable part of scholarly research. He was responsible for the "Building Program" of the Cazier Science and Technology Library, as he was involved at the grass-roots level with the National Agricultural Library in establishing the western and northwest regions in the National Agricultural Lending Cooperative. Max has served as chair for the Governor's Library Speak Out for various counties, chair of the State Library plan for Utah, and served on the Board of Directors for the Utah Bicentennial Foundation. As Max Peterson has continued to value cultural diversity and to serve community seniors with a "Summer Seniors Libraries Program," and to serve as a master teacher in Political Science, History, Folklore, and Library Instruction classes, his service to his community has been an ongoing value especially to the blind. Max Peterson has announced his intention to retire from Utah State University. He leaves each of us a permanent legacy of high standards, unconditional interest, and commitment to provide quality library services, information and learning resources, lifelong learning opportunities to all, and selfless leadership.
LIBRARIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Christie Reimschussel, Director, American Fork Library
Christie Reimschussel is a "marathon Librarian". She, like a runner, suffered all the elements, yet continued to leap forward even during her most exhausted moments. Christie was determined to build the American Fork Library. She never gave up and always pulled others along with her when some were ready to give up the race. Christie remained positive and instilled in others a continuous, courageous positive attitude that healed the wounds of their battles and completed the library vision that she saw better than anyone. Architect David Hart tells about how he first met Christie in the summer of 1996, He and his partner, Barry Smith, visited Christie to check out the plans for a new library. "There was Christie working away in an office that had no air conditioning, heating, or windows. It was space that was originally part of the exterior of the library and now converted to the Director's office or "freezer" as I called it. Christie's passive comment was that it gets a little cold, but it's not bad. After all, she loves what she was doing and didn't mind the conditions." Christie's challenges continued because the old library was to be demolished, Christie moved staff and collection into an old warehouse abandoned by the school board. Again, with no air conditioning and little heat, Christie, with her positive assurance, guided her staff into transforming the warehouse into a fully functional library wonder space. Christie is a champion. She never showed her frustration or exhaustion. She ran through all kinds of "weather" and maintained her composure, never giving up she used her intelligence to simultaneously support her staff, the city council, and the mayor; although, there were times when they did not support her. She endured a very difficult political environment and continued to smile. American Fork now has beautiful new library, and Christie Reimschussel was and is their outstanding leader.
SPECIAL SERVICES TO LIBRARIES AWARD
Chip Ward, Development Services Manager, Utah State Library Division and
Jimmy Parker, Library Manager and Special Projects Manager,
Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Chip Ward is a highly regarded member of the Utah Library Association. First as a bookmobile driver, now as Development Services Manager for the Utah State Library Division, working to make a personal and professional difference in communities, Chip has translated his personal goals into action by helping colleagues and patrons use libraries to participate in the democratic process and enrich their lives. He has also devoted his boundless personal energies for many years to critically important environmental issues in our West Desert neighborhoods. Now, to further this important cause, he has written a highly acclaimed book. Chip Ward wrote Canaries on the Rim: Living Downwind in the West because he said the story had to be told. Try as he did to persuade another writer to expose these injustices, he was not thwarted when that fell through. The book has received accolades for its importance and honesty. True kudos for a writer who modestly says that he is not one! He came to one of the planet's most unforgiving deserts, the flat salt pans west of Salt Lake City to drive a bookmobile and emerged years later as a spokesman for that forbidding landscape which he calls a repository of decaying plutonium, retired biochemical weapons, and other manifestations of "ecocidal schemes" of big business and government. Terry Tempest Williams, author of Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place wrote: The Great Basin is military terrain: testing ground for bombs; burial ground for obsolete weapons; laboratory for biological and chemical warfare. Chip Ward blows it all up as he exposes the dark secrets and mythology maintained in the name of "national security." He is a local hero who has found his greatest defense for the landscape he loves in his pen. This local history becomes a document of deceit. Canaries on the Rim is a deeply patriotic book. Chip Ward touches all of us with his commitment to quality of life–a passion shared by librarians who are dedicated to improving the lives of customers seeking information. It is his stewardship and sense of responsibility that exemplifies leadership with compassion.
For over thirty-six years Jimmy Parker has been a dynamic visionary and helped secure and maintain international recognition in genealogy. Jimmy's leadership early in the Family History Library's acquisition program and later as a writer and as manager of the library helped secure and maintain the library's enviable role in genealogy. As library manager, he directed a staff of 600 and monitored a collection of more than three million books, microfilm, and microfiche. He showed great compassion for his fellow workers while expecting strong work commitments. He was known for being diligent and thorough. Jimmy has had a unique ability to bring both LDS Church members and those of other faiths together in the cause of family history. He has always shared his great love for genealogy. Jimmy Parker has keen understanding, direction, and knowledge as he made resources available to family historians everywhere. The number of family history centers steadily increased to over 3,000 world-wide, and Family-Search Internet Genealogy Service is available in homes, public libraries, and various repositories. He has played many roles: Special Projects Manager, Library Manager, Correspondence Unit Supervisor, Editor, Administrative Assistant, Publication Coordinator, Accreditation Coordinator, Researcher, Evaluator, and Records Negotiator. His early career as school teacher laid the foundation for his contributions, including writing numerous notable articles while lecturing around the country. He has served as officer of many organizations for archival circles, genealogical groups, American Indian associations, and government officials. An Accredited Researcher, with additional skills in Canadian and American Indian studies, he has the reputation of being one of America's best. Jimmy Parker retired from the Family History Department of the LDS church after more than thirty-six years of dedication to his love for genealogy. In retirement he will pursue his most monumental task–to study the tree of his fourteen children.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD
Christopher Anderson, ULA Executive Secretary/Treasurer
Chris Anderson has been a friend and esteemed colleague to all of us. Over the past nine years he has served as the Secretary/ Treasurer for ULA and has often gone beyond the call of duty. He was successful in changing our financial ink from red to black as he worked tirelessly, often without remuneration. Chris has been the one stable person we always turned to when we had a question that no one seemed to be able to answer. Through his efforts ULA gained nonprofit tax exempt status with the IRS. His impressive financial management and his knowledge of tax law and investments have made ULA the type of organization that could donate money to support state funding of library buildings. An interesting story follows Chris Anderson: ULA had been in dire financial straits for several years. When he took over the reins of the association, all of the financial information was handed to him in a shopping bag–literally–and completely disorganized. Over the next nine years he brought financial stability to the organization that not only made us solvent but allowed the association to move ahead and support many new programs. Chris is a person of tremendous personal integrity. Those who have worked with him have felt complete trust in the way he has handled the money. He has provided a kind of continuity that an association of revolving officers always needs. Very often Chris has been called upon for advice. He has never let us down–always tirelessly giving of his time and effort for the benefit of his fellow librarians.
ULA AWARDS COMMITTEE
Ron Gabriel (Chair), Salt Lake County Library System
Jim Bernini, Granite School District, Salt Lake County Library System
Kent Dean, Salt Lake County Library System
Sue Hill, Brigham City Public Library
Pat Montgomery, Utah State Library Division
Tom Wright, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University
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