Library Journal Names Dr. Suzie Allard As Recipient Of The 2013 LJ Teaching Award

NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- "Talent," "passion," and "energy" are three words used to describe Dr. Suzie Allard, associate professor and associate director of the School of Information Sciences (SIS) in the College of Communication and Information (CCI) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) and the recipient of the 2013 LJ Teaching Award. The award, cosponsored by ProQuest^®, recognizes one outstanding educator who excels at educating the next generation of librarians. Allard is notable for a decade of work building a specialty in science information and science data management and for creating a true classroom-practice science library education program.

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Nominated by Carol Tenopir, Professor at SIS, and director of research and the Center for Information and Communication Studies at CCI, Allard was selected by the editors of Library Journal, the profession's leading trade magazine from a competitive group of nominations from across the United States. Allard stood out amongst other submissions for her forward thinking approach to building relationships and forging non-traditional partnerships with institutions such as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Getty Museum, and U.S Geological Survey to create connections between students' coursework and professional scientific field work. These partnerships push boundaries, fuel new courses, create true practice-classroom experiences, and open the door for a flow of information in scientific communities.

Beyond building courses and partnerships, Allard is known for nurturing one-on-one relationships with her students: recruiting them, mentoring them in many ways, and helping them to get jobs as science librarians and data librarians and as other science information positions. "I am deeply involved in mentoring, and for our science information students it is an emerging area, so everything is not yet in coursework. To me, this involvement and mentoring is a crucial form of teaching," Allard says. Her mentoring approach contributes deeply to her student's career development.  

"Dynamic and groundbreaking, Dr. Allard has innovated within her school's program to expand the possibilities for the future librarians while also extending the value of the professional degree. We are honored to add her to the ranks of Teaching Award winners," said Rebecca T. Miller, editor-in-chief of Library Journal.

"ProQuest's longstanding support of researchers, students, and faculty in LIS programs aims to help librarians adapt and thrive in new and changing environments. Showcasing the work of educators who are spurring the evolution of library schools and inspiring the next generation of librarian leaders is an important part of our advocacy efforts," said Kurt Sanford, ProQuest CEO. "Dr. Allard is very much the kind of teacher this award seeks to recognize and someone who is making a meaningful contribution to the future of the profession. We're delighted to join with Library Journal in recognizing her many contributions to her institution and her students."

Allard has produced and co-produced many reports and publications, including DataONE: Facilitating eScience through Collaboration, Data Sharing by Scientists: Perceptions and Practices and Building Bridges: Information Science Skills to the Leverage the Power of Environmental Information.  The Institute of Museum and Library Services has supported the following project she is leading: Cybersecurity for Science Information: Developing Workforce Proficiency (2012), and SciData: Science Data and Information Professionals for the Future. Her professional research and writing accomplishments demonstrate her focus and enthusiasms.

The award comes with a $5000 honorarium from ProQuest and a feature story in November 15, 2013 issue of Library Journal. Read the full story online.

ABOUT PROQUEST (www.proquest.com)
ProQuest connects people with vetted, reliable information. Key to serious research, the company's products are a gateway to the world's knowledge including dissertations, governmental and cultural archives, news, historical collections and ebooks. ProQuest technologies serve users across the critical points in research, helping them discover, access, share, create and manage information.

The company's cloud-based technologies offer flexible solutions for librarians, students and researchers through the ProQuest^®, Bowker^®, Dialog^®, ebrary^®, EBL^® and Serials Solutions^® businesses – and notable research tools such as the Summon^® discovery service, the RefWorks^® Flow™ collaboration platform, the Pivot™ research development tool and the Intota™ library services platform.

ProQuest has a 140-year history of advocacy for the fundamental role libraries play in connecting people with information. Beyond its engagement in conferences and professional events, the company supports librarian education. Its Graduate Education Program provides free databases for teachers to use in training future librarians; free trainers who visit classes to lead instruction; and a variety of professional development seminars designed specifically to help librarians in corporate settings amplify their role. ProQuest's networking platform – Discover More Corps – enables new librarians and students around the world to connect, share experiences and teach each other.

ProQuest is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with offices around the world.

ABOUT LIBRARY JOURNAL
Founded in 1876, Library Journal is one of the oldest and most respected publications covering the library field. Over 75,000 library directors, administrators, and staff in public, academic, and special libraries read LJ. Library Journal reviews over 8000 books, audiobooks, videos, databases, and web sites annually, and provides coverage of technology, management, policy, and other professional concerns. For more information, visit www.libraryjournal.com. Library Journal is a publication of Media Source Inc., which also owns School Library Journal, The Horn Book publications, and Junior Library Guild.

SOURCE ProQuest

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