News Library News Online Vol. 24, No. 3/Spring 2002

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JOIN US IN SANTA MONICA FOR THE 2002 AWARDS BANQUET
By Debra Bade

The Hotel Casa del Mar will be our spectacular setting for the News Division’s 2002 Awards Banquet – I hope many of you will be able to attend. Located next to the Santa Monica Pier, Casa del Mar is a beautiful beachfront property and is already gearing up to host the News Division. We’ll begin with cocktails and conversation outdoors on the beachside patio (this cocktail reception is once again sponsored by our friends at ProQuest). Then, as the sun sets, the party will move upstairs to the elegant ballroom overlooking the ocean where our award winners will be honored.

Gracing our Awards Banquet this year will be a truly exceptional slate of award winners: M.J. Crowley, who will be honored with the Joseph F. Kwapil Memorial Award, highest honor of the News Division; and Jim Hunter and Sharon Clairemont, who will be recipients of the Agnes Henebry Roll of Honor Award.

THE KWAPIL

M.J. CrowleyM.J. Crowley (who wants us to call her Maria Jose now after her recent trip to Nicaragua to study Spanish) is currently the Information Editor for the Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), a role she has been in since 1996. But did you know that she started out as a school librarian after earning her M.L.S. degree from the University of Michigan in 1971? School library gigs took her to Indiana and New York before fate led her to Philadelphia in 1981. This was obviously a smart move for M.J. and for the News Division because two years later, she became Library Manager for the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, a position from which she learned all about news research, budgets, staffing, and technology. Twelve years later an opportunity to build a virtual library lured her to the Star-Ledger in Newark. She has led the way to that virtual library and implemented major training initiatives along with many other projects at the Star-Ledger.

That is only part of the story however. M.J. has also given much of her time and energy to the News Division. As Division Archivist from 1987-2001, she organized the large collection of archival material related to our organization and in the process became the expert on News Division history. In addition, M.J. has spoken frequently at annual conferences on a wide variety of topics - her professionalism and creativity are over the top in every way. Congratulations M.J.

HENEBRY WINNERS

Sharon ClairemontSharon Clairemont is Director of Content Research, Metro Division, for Freedom Communications, Inc. and heads up research services for newspapers, magazines, web sites and special publications in Orange County, Colorado Springs, and Mesa, Arizona. She started out at the Orange County Register back in 1983 and quickly became active in the News Division, hosting a regional conference in 1987. Sharon was Chair of the News Division in 1989-1990, planning the conference program in New York in 1989. Sharon has been a frequent panelist for conference programs on topics such as space planning, revenue centers, and copyright.

Jim HunterJim Hunter has been Library Director of the Columbus Dispatch since 1974. Jim’s enthusiasm for archiving and technology projects is well known and he has given much of that enthusiasm to both the Columbus Dispatch and to the News Division. He was an early adopter of computer assisted reporting techniques and is heavily involved with providing access to CAR data over the Dispatch intranet site. Jim earned his M.L.S. at Kent State University in 1973, and has maintained ties to library education via his work as a part-time faculty member at Kent State and Otterbein College.

Those of us who know these award winners personally are indeed fortunate to have benefited from their expertise and knowledge over the years.

OTHER AWARDS

  • The Vormelker-Thomas Student Stipend Award will go to Hannah Sommers, a library school student at the University of Texas in Austin (you’ll read Hannah’s essay "From Tasini to Goodwin: It’s All About Credit" in this edition of NLN). Hannah already has some news experience, having worked as an intern with National Public Radio in Washington, D.C.
  • Jody Habayeb will be honored for her service as Chair of the News Division in 2001-2002 with the Ralph J. Shoemaker Award of Merit. Thanks for all the hard work as a conference planner and Chair, Jody.

Please join me in congratulating all of our award winners and plan to join us for this gala event in Santa Monica. Thanks to members of the awards committee: Ron Larson, Kathy Foley, Patti Graziano and Tom Lutgen.

Debra Bade is Past Chair/Director of Awards for the SLA News Division and Deputy Information Editor at the Chicago Tribune. You can contact her at dbade@tribune.com.