NC/SLA AWARDS: 1999

About Park Library

Park Library News

Collections

For Students

For Faculty

For Researchers

The 10th anniversary of the NC/SLA Chapter's Awards Ceremony was held Friday evening, May 14, 1999 at the Tuscany Ballroom of the Sienna Hotel in Durham, Over 72 members were present for the banquet and ceremony. NC. Peggy Hull, Awards Chair, introduced the presenters of the 1999 NC/SLA Awards:

• Sara Aull Student Paper Award

  Eileen McGrath (pictured below right) presented the Sara Aull Student paper Award to JANE QUIGLEY (left), graduate student from UNC-CH School of Information and Library Science
  

• Horizon Award

  Ellen Leadem delivered the Horizon Award speech honoring Kristen Roland. You can read her remarks here. Pictured below is NC/SLA Awards Chair, Peggy Hull (left), presenting the award to KRISTEN ROLAND from the US EPA Library.
  

• Information Management Award

  Peggy Hull presented the Information Management Award to the Center for Creative Leadership which was accepted by TOM BRIDGERS, CCL Vice-President.
  
  Pictured, left to right, are Tom Bridgers, CCL vice president
  and Frank Freeman, CCL Library Director.

• Meritorious Award

  Carolyn Argentati delivered the Meritorious Award speech honoring Jean Porter. Pictured below is NC/SLA Awards Chair, Peggy Hull (right), presenting the Award to JEAN PORTER (left) from North Carolina State University Library.
  

   

[Note: A list of past NC/SLA Award honorees can be found here.]

Sponsors for this special evening were NewsEdge and The Dialog Corporation.

Guest Speaker

Ann Stringfield introduced the evening's speaker Barbara Semonche from UNC-CH School of Journalism and Mass Communication Library. Ann's introduction can be found here. The title of Barbara's speech was

"Hindsight, Foresight, and Insight: The View from the Valley."

Pictured here (left to right) are: Bob Hebert, NC/SLA president,
Barbara Semonche, program speaker, and Ann Stringfield, NC/SLA president elect.

{Note: All photos were taken by Ellen Leadem, NC/SLA president elect.]

Introduction of Barbara Semonche, guest speaker
for our NC/SLA 1999 Annual Meeting, Banquet, and Awards Ceremony

May 14th 1999
Siena Hotel, Chapel Hill, NC
Ann Stringfield
1998/99 President-Elect of NC/SLA

Many thanks to Scott Pickett of NewsEdge Corporation and Mark Donnelly of The Dialog Corporation for their financial support of this evening's events.

I spent some time checking out Barbara Semonche's web presence. I started printing out a few items of interest: her C.V., award acceptance speeches, writings, descriptions of a class Barbara teaches at UNC-Chapel Hill. (Scrolling out a lengthy printout across the room.)

But then I thought, Barbara wouldn't want me to use up the equivalent of the Duke Forest in paper resources! I stopped my printer. (Rewinds the substantial paper scroll.)

So here's an abbreviated overview of Barbara Semonche.

• Hawkeye (that's a University of Iowa thing) turned Tarheel
• Speech Pathologist
• Language Specialist  
• EPA Library Contractor
• News Librarian
• Now Library Director  
• NC/SLA Past President
• Maven of the SLA News Librarians Division
• National Award winner (about 8 times over) 
• Scholarly book indexer
• Author/Editor (about 17 times over)  
• Web M i s t r e s s
• Listserv manager . . . managing two. . . simultaneously!  
• Cybercoach
• Student mentor
• Adjunct instructor who provides continental breakfast for students on the morning of their final exam.  
• N. C. Museum of History docent
• Wife of Jack (for almost 37 years)
• Mother of Laura
• Sister  
• Woman who always writes her "Thank you" notes . . .

Please welcome Barbara Semonche!

NC/SLA Horizon Award - 1999
Presentation by Ellen Leadem
to Kristen Roland

Good evening.

It occurs to me that the process of award making can be generalized into three distinct experiences:

• For those who select the winners, the experience can be challenging, daunting and sometimes humbling when selectors are faced with choosing from amongst candidates, all possessing talents and skills in such equal measure.
• For those who receive awards, the experience is certainly always gratifying...to know that one's hard work; talents and accomplishments are acknowledged and applauded by their peers and colleagues.
• But for those of us, who get to present awards, the experience is by far the most pleasant of all.

This evening I have the privilege of presenting our Chapter's Horizon Award. Presented annually, the Horizon Award is earned by

"A Chapter colleague who, through work and professional activities, has shown a promise of becoming an outstanding member of the profession."

We have just such a colleague in our midst tonight.

She has clearly demonstrated her talents in professional, association and personal arenas, which show her to be such a deserving winner.

In which ways has she shown us?

By her:

• Service and Leadership to our Chapter
• Promotion of the value of the Special Library within her own organization and to the world outside our profession.

A little recent history on our winner.

• In 1995 she received her Masters Degree in Library Science from School of Information and Library Science, UNC Chapel Hill.
• During her graduate studies, she served as Reference Intern at Davis Library, UNC-Chapel Hill and then took an Internship position at the EPA Library in Research Triangle Park.
• Upon graduation, she assumed the position of Librarian at the EPA, and rapidly progressed through the positions of Associate Director, Interim Director and now currently as Director of the Library.

Such meteoric rise could only be successfully achieved by a person possessing both the technical and professional skills necessary to handle this challenge, but also by a person possessing fine communication skills, focus, drive and steady nerves.

She has shown herself to be an active participant in a number of Professional Associations, including SLA, SILS Alumni Association, and Triangle Librarians' Association.

The Special Libraries Association has benefited in an indirect but no less crucial way, from her work here on a local level with graduate interns. Through an arrangement with SILS, she is able to recruit and hire students as Library interns to work at both the EPA and NIEHS libraries in RTP. For many students, this is their first exposure to a Special Library setting, and we could ask for no better ambassador for our profession, than what student interns can witness from her on a daily basis under her supervision.

This internship program has reached its 25th year... a milestone our winner helped mark by organizing a recent anniversary reunion. Many Special Librarians marked their career beginnings through internships in this program and it can only continue to benefit from our winner's careful shepherding as it begins its journey through the next 25 years.

Our own NC Chapter of SLA has also derived a great and immediate benefitfrom her association with us. Since 1996, she has served as the Editor of the Chapter's quarterly Bulletin... a responsibility requiring great organizational skills, technical expertise, persuasive powers and the surety of meeting deadlines. Her devotion to this task and her generosity of service makes her one colleague, which our Chapter hopes to hold onto for many years to come.

For those of you who already know our winner, and for those who will come to know her very soon, she is readily recognizable for many of her personal qualities as well:

• A ready smile and sense of humor
• A welcoming look
• A great listener
• A quiet demeanor which is both strong and steady.

It is our Chapter's great pleasure to present to you, the 1999 Horizon Award Winner, Kristen Roland.

This page was created in 1999 by Barbara P. Semonche.