The following awards were presented at GSLIS Convocation on May 16, 2004.

Bryce Allen Award for Reference Services

Presented to Rachelle Ramsey by Dr. Linda Smith:

Rachelle Ramsey is the first graduate to be recognized with the Bryce Allen Award for Reference Services. She has demonstrated excellence in this field through her studies as a LEEP On-line student, her work as a reference specialist for the Washington-Centerville Public Library in Ohio, and her publications and presentations. In 2002, she presented a paper at the Virtual Reference Desk Conference that explored the implications of studies of computer-mediated communication for the conduct of virtual reference. She recently published her webliography on "Biological and Chemical Terrorism Information for Healthcare Professionals" in the electronic journal “Issues in Science & Technology Librarianship.” We look forward to her continued contributions to the field.

C. Berger Group Entrepreneurial Promise Award

Presented to Carissa Holler by Dr. Fernando Elichirigoity:

Carissa Holler has demonstrated a commitment to learning, an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, and an abiding dedication to academic excellence. Ms. Holler’s entrepreneurial abilities were immediately evident in the “Information Consulting” course. This course involves LIS students working in teams with MBA students to solve real-world business problems for clients of the College of Business. Carissa did such an outstanding job in this course that she was invited to be the LIS director for the following semester--a position that entailed supervising all of the LIS students in working in MBA teams, and she was then invited to remain in the position for the next two semesters.

By bridging the distinct cultures of the MBA program and our LIS program, Carissa contributed immensely to an environment of mutual appreciation, thereby increasing the opportunities and achievements for all LIS students. Throughout her program, she demonstrated a commitment to excellence, intelligent problem-solving and a strong entrepreneurial ethos of getting things done efficiently and well. On behalf of the entire GSLIS faculty and myself, we wish you success in all your professional endeavors.

Berner-Nash Memorial Award

Presented to Tonyia Tidline by Dr. Betsy Hearne:

Tonyia Tidline is being recognized for her dissertation on "Art as Information". This research generates a description and analysis of the process of art-making and the nature of art as a repository of information. Her conceptualization of information in the broadest sense to include a range of means people use to acquire, organize, express and retain elements of life experience, as expressed visually, contributes a unique perspective to library and information science. The dissertation enlarges evolving notions of information theory, retrieval, and use by adding "Art-as-Information analysis" to the multifaceted, interdisciplinary mix of our field.

Anne M. Boyd Award (Beta Phi Mu)

Presented to Katy Mullally by Dr. Caroline Haythornthwaite:

Katy Mullally presents the combination of curiosity, intellect, drive, and positive presence that we, as a faculty, are confident will take her to leadership positions in LIS. As Jill Gengler, Katy's manager in the GSLIS Instructional Technology Office states, "To call Katy Mullally energetic is to really state the obvious. Every time she has come in to work, even if she claims to be tired, she has run rings around any challenges she has faced. She has been tenacious in solving technical problems, she has been curious about the workings of technology, and she has been unfailingly friendly, upbeat and outgoing. I have often thought that you could drop Katy off in any setting on the planet and in short order she will have made friends, fixed problems, and generally made that corner of the world a far better place. We will miss being able to rely on her in the Instructional Technology and Design office, but she will be such a great asset to the profession that we look forward to hearing more about her and her contributions, in the future."

Jane B. and Robert B. Downs Professional Promise Award

Presented to Kevin Hawkins by Dr. Allen Renear:

Kevin Hawkins hit the ground running at GSLIS in a astonishing blur of activity: organizing talks and tutorials, galvanizing organizations and research groups, and seeming to be everywhere at every time, always competent and in control, and always ready with his penetrating thoughtful questioning and relentless intellect, broad scholarly erudition, and meticulous execution.

Professor Renear collaborated with Kevin on projects and papers on text encoding and humanities computing and he found it hard to keep up with Kevin’s physical energy and exacting restless intellect. Nothing slips by him, Professor Renear discovered, and even the hardest, riskiest lines of inquiry are bravely undertaken. In fact, Professor Renear must hurry back to his office to reply to Kevin’s last rather devastating revision to their current project, and then back to work on it before Kevin’s next email asking what is taking so long.

Kevin is now off to an extraordinary career, which we will watch with pleasure and benefit.

Presented to Tina Kirkham by Dr. Stephen Downie: