A. Anneli Ahtola, education librarian at the University of Tampere in Finland, is the 1991 recipient of the Reference and Adult Services Division (RASD) Reference Service Press Award.
The award, $500 and a plaque, is presented to recognize and reward the most outstanding article published in RQ during the preceding two years. The winning article is selected on the basis of originality, timeliness, relevance to RASD areas of interest and concern, and quality of writing.
Ahtola received the award for "In-house Databases: An Opportunity for Progressive Librarians," which points out that the possibilities for in-house databases are nearly unlimited. She describes the database building process and illustrates, with several examples, how libraries and private individuals are using in-house databases successfully. Want to read this award-winning article in its entirety online? Click here.
"A. Anneli Ahtola encourages librarians to be proactive and to take risks in developing in-house databases," said Carolyn Sheehy, Reference Service Press Award Committee Chair. "In-house databases are important in the survival of libraries in the current competitive world. They offer possibilities for professional challenge and staff development and provide important links for the library. Locally-oriented and collection-specific databases can become essential tools in successful locate networking and cooperative collection development."
Ahtola worked at the Auraria Library in Denver, Colo. before returning to Finland. She received a master's degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and a master's degree in library science from the University of Denver.
Source: American Library Association press release, September, 1991.
