The Reference Service Press Award has been presented to Mary Biggs and Victor Biggs in recognition of their having published the most outstanding article in the official journal of the American Library Association (ALA) Reference and Adult Services Division (RASD), RQ, during the two volume years preceding 1989.
The award, which carries a $500 cash prize and a plaque, is donated by Reference Service Press, Gail A. Schlachter, president.
The winning article, "Reference Collection Development in Academic Libraries: Report of a Survey," appeared in RQ in the Fall 1987 issue (volume 27, number 3). Want to read this award-winning article online? Click here.
In announcing the award, Eric Greenfelt, chair of the award committee, reported that, "Although the focus of the article was on academic reference collection development, our committee felt strongly that the observations of the authors were equally valid for public libraries. The issues of collection size and space availability as well as the absence of acquisition policy statements are nearly universal."
The Reference Service Press Award is judged on basis of an article's ability to provide an evaluation assessment of the sources considered and to demonstrate excellence in quality of writing, relevance, originality, timeliness, and validity of methods used.
Source: American Library Association press release, June, 1989
