Banks/Harris Preservation Award to Michèle V. Cloonan

CHICAGO- Michèle V. Cloonan, dean and professor of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College, is the recipient of the 2010 Paul Banks and Carolyn Harris Preservation Award. The award, consisting of $1,500 and a citation, sponsored by Preservation Technologies, L. P., recognizes the contribution of a professional preservation specialist who has been active in the field of preservation and/or conservation for library and/or archival materials. The award will be presented on Sunday, June 27, at the ALCTS Awards Ceremony during the 2010 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

Cloonan's academic and practical accomplishments represent a long, diverse and extremely active career dedicated to promoting preservation in practice, theory and graduate- and doctoral-level education. Since she began her career in 1974, Dr. Cloonan’s major accomplishments include: her extensive research and publications, which form a major contribution to the literature of the profession; her incomparable influence and leadership in the field of preservation education and curriculum development for preservation in library science programs nationwide; and her active role as a leader in preservation organizations and efforts, a testament to her commitment to the profession.

During the period of her tenure at UCLA (1991-2002), Cloonan worked effectively to secure grants and to initiate and manage preservation activities. Among these were establishing a joint masters program in moving image preservation studies at UCLA (the first master’s level program in this field in the world), establishing UCLA’s Department of Information Studies as the U.S. co-host of InterPARES (an international research project on preservation of authentic electronic records), participating in the Stanford University-based California Preservation Clearinghouse, developing a Web site and educational materials for the Los Angeles Preservation Network and mounting a Preservation Intensive Institute at UCLA. At Simmons College (2002 to date) Cloonan, as dean of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, has energetically promoted preservation teaching and research. One measure of the extent to which this has been effective is the ranking of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science in the top ten library schools in the U.S., and even higher in preservation education specifically.

Dr. Cloonan’s writings on preservation are extensive and deeply imbedded in the library and archives literature, dating from 1981, when she published, “Developing a Brittle Book Program at the Newberry Library.” Library Scene, December 1981.

There are too many publications to list individually, but a few of her most influential journal articles include, “The Paradox of Preservation,” Library Trends (Summer 2007), in an issue she co-edited with Ross Harvey, “The Moral Imperative to Preserve,” Library Trends (Winter 2007), “W(h)ither Preservation? (Library Quarterly, April 2001), “Preservation without Borders” (Libri, September 1997) and “The Preservation of Knowledge” (Library Trends, Spring 1993). Cloonan is currently writing a book that develops a more holistic view of the preservation of cultural heritage. Her ongoing contribution to the literature of the field also includes papers presented at conferences and meetings throughout her career.

Cloonan’s influence and contributions in the field of library and archives preservation are also deeply imbedded in the profession through her dedication to teaching and mentoring. She began teaching preservation in graduate schools in 1985, at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, as well as the universities of Alabama, Rhode Island and UCLA. At UCLA, she became chair of the Department of Information Studies and continued to teach preservation and mentor doctoral students. Currently, despite her heavy administrative and college-wide leadership roles at Simmons College, she regularly teaches a preservation management course.

Throughout Cloonan’s career she has assumed regional, national and international leadership roles to further the goals of the preservation community. Currently, she is chair of the Northeast Document Conservation Center’s Board of Directors, having served on their board since 2005 and on their Advisory Board from 1988 to 1992, 1995 to 1996 and 2002 to 2005. When she was at UCLA, teaching preservation and other courses, she was on the Steering Committee of the Los angeles Preservation Network from 1991-2001, serving as its chair from 1994 to 1995. Cloonan was a Consultant for the Office of Management Services of ACRL, involved with its Preservation Planning Program from 1989 to 1993. More recently, she was on the CLIR (Council on Library & Information Resources) Committee of Preservation (2006-2008). Throughout Cloonan’s career she has served on many ALA committees concerned with preservation and education. In ALISE (Association for Library and Information Science Education) she was the founder of the Preservation Education Special Interest Group. She also served as president of ALISE from 2008-2009. She was also a consultant for the Office of Management Services of ARL (the Association of Research Libraries), Preservation Planning Program from 1989-1993. She has taken her interests international by being on the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) Standing Committee, Preservation and Conservation Section, from 2005-2009). She instituted three years of training for Iraqi librarians (2004-2007) and she made Preservation one of the courses taught.

The Banks/ Harris Preservation Award honors the memories of Paul Banks and Carolyn Harris, early leaders in library preservation and teachers and mentors for many in the field of preservation. Paul N. Banks was an early mentor to Cloonan at the Newberry Library in the 1970s. It is especially meaningful to recognize her with this award named for one of her mentors. The Banks/Harris Award is given each year by the Preservation and Reformatting Section of the ALCTS.

The Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) is the national association for information providers who work in collections and technical services, such as acquisitions, cataloging, collection development, preservation and continuing resources in digital and print formats.

ALCTS is a division of the American Library Association.