Gail Schlachter's Bio

Gail Schlachter:
Biographical Information

Driven by a passion to identify information needs and to create resources as well as procedures to meet those needs, Dr. Gail A. Schlachter has worked for more than three decades in the library and information fields as a library administrator, a library educator, an author of library-oriented reference works, and (most recently) a publisher of both print and electronic materials. During her career, Gail has been elected several times to the governing councils of the American Library Association and the California Library Association, has served as the president of the American Library Association's Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), and was selected first as the reference review editor and then as the editor-in-chief of Reference and User Services Quarterly, RUSA's official reference-oriented journal.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of reference librarianship, Gail has been awarded the Isadore Gilbert Mudge Citation, honored with the Louis Shore-Oryx Press Award, named the "Distinguished Alumna of the Year by the University of Wisconsin's School of Library and Information Studies, and received numerous honors for her publications, including Choice's "Academic Title of the Year Award," Library Journal's "Best Reference Book of the Year Award," National Education and Information Center Advisory Committee's "Best of the Best" award, and Knowledge Industry Publications "Award for Library Literature."

Gail first became interested in the financial aid field back in 1978, and what started as a casual interest has, over the years, become her career commitment. Gail established Reference Service Press with one goal in mind: to insure that those in need will be able to access the most comprehensive and current financial aid information available. That goal drives every decision at Reference Service Press--and it's what makes the company today "the premier provider of financial aid information in the country."

  • EDUCATION
  • WORK EXPERIENCE
  • AWARDS RECEIVED
  • AWARDS FUNDED (To date, more than 50 library school students and librarians have received a total of more than $100,000 through these programs)
  • EDUCATION

    Ph.D., Library Science. Library School, University of Minnesota, 1971. (Minors: Statistics; Higher Education. Dissertation topic: Librarians' attitudes toward unions, quasi-unions, and professional organizations)

    M.P.A., Public Administration. School of Public Administration, University of Southern California, 1976. (Specialization: Program evaluation).

    M.A., Library Science. Library School, University of Wisconsin, 1967.

    Joint M.A., History and Education. History Department and School of Education, University of Wisconsin, 1966. (Thesis Topics: Navigation Act of 1673; Treatment of minorities in high school textbooks).

    B.A. University of California, Berkeley, 1964. (Majors: Social Sciences and History. Minor: French).

     


    WORK EXPERIENCE

    President, Reference Service Press, 1985-  . Responsible for the editorial quality, operational efficiency, and strategic development of Reference Service Press, a successful niche company specializing solely in the development of print and electronic sources of financial aid information for special needs groups, specific levels of education, selected majors, etc.

    Visiting Professor, San Jose School of Library and Information Science, 1991- . Responsible for teaching various courses on reference and information studies to students working on their master's degree in library and information studies.

    Vice President/General Manager, ABC-CLIO, 1983-1985. Under the direction of the president, responsible for the editorial quality and operational efficiency of a general library-oriented book publishing company with 100 employees at three locations in the United States and England.

    Vice President/Books, ABC-CLIO, 1982-1983. Under the direction of the vice president/general manager, responsible for the editorial quality and operational efficiency of the books' division, which produced library-oriented monographs, reference works, and serials.

    Director, Serials, ABC-CLIO, 1981-1982. Under the direction of the vice president for books, responsible for the editorial quality and operational efficiency6 of the serials division, which produced several library-oriented subscription services, including Historical Abstracts, American: History and Life, and ABC Pol Sci.

    Assistant University Librarian, Public Services, University of California, Davis, 1976-1981. Under the direction of the university librarian, responsible for managing the staff and operations of the public service units at an Association of Research Libraries-member library, including circulation, general reference, social sciences/humanities reference, biological science reference, physical science branch, agricultural economics branch, government documents, interlibrary loan, and the circulating art collection.

    Head, Social Science Department, Library, California State University, Long Beach, 1974-1976. Under the direction of the assistant university librarian, responsible for managing the staff and operations of the largest department within the library, including reference work, collection development, and bibliographic instruction/outreach.

    Assistant Professor, Library School, University of Southern California, 1971-1974, Among the courses taught: statistical analysis, research methodologies, library service and philosophy, and general and specialized reference.

     


    AWARDS RECEIVED

    Distinguished Alumna of the Year. University of Wisconsin's School of Library and Information Studies, 2007.

    Resolution of Appreciation for Gail A. Schlachter, RUSQ Editor, 1997-2000. Reference and User Services Association, 2000. Published in Reference & User Services quarterly (RUSQ), Volume 40, Number 1 (Fall, 2000).

    Editor's Choice Award (for the four volumes in the Minority Funding Set: Financial Aid for African Americans, Financial Aid for Asian Americans, Financial Aid for Hispanic Americans, andFinancial Aid for Native Americans). Reference Books Bulletin, 1998.

    Best Academic Title Award (for College Student's Guide to Merit & Other No-Need Funding).  Choice, 1997.

    Louis Shores-Oryx Press Award. Reference and User Services Association, American Library Association, 1997.

    Isador Gilbert Mudge Award for Distinguished Service to Reference Librarianship. Reference and User Services Association, American Library Association, 1992.

    Best Reference Book of the Year Award (for Financial Aid for the Disabled and Their Families). Library Journal, 1990.

    Best Reference Book Award (for Financial Aid for the Disabled and Their Families). New York Public Library, 1989.

    Best Reference Book of the Year Award (for Directory of Financial Aids for Women). School Library Journal, 1989.

    "Best of the Best" Reference Book Award (for Directory of Financial Aids for Women). National Education and Information Center, 1988.

    Best Professional Book Award (for The Service Imperative: Essays in Honor of Margaret E. Monroe). RQ, 1986.

    Award for Library Literature (for Reference Sources in Library and Information Services: A Guide to the Literature). Knowledge Industry Publications, 1985.

    Outstanding Reference Book Award  (for Minorities and Women: A Guide to Reference Literature in the Social Sciences). Choice, 1977.

    Outstanding Library Science Professor. University of Southern California, 1973.

    Beta Phi Mu. 1971.

    Higher Education Act Title II-B Fellowship. University of Minnesota, 1968-1971.

    Tuition Fellowship. University of Wisconsin, 1964-1966.

     


    AWARDS FUNDED (To date, more than 50 library school students and librarians have received a total of more than $100,000 through these programs)

    Reference Service Press Fellowship in Reference and Information Service. $3,000 per year for a student to train to become a reference librarian. Administered by the California Library Association, 1993-  . Annual

    Reference Service Press Award. $2,500 per year to the authors of the most outstanding article published in RUSQ during the previous two years. Administered by the American Library Association's Reference and User Services Association, 1985-  . Annual.

     



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    Last modified October 1, 2007.
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