FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Candi Clevenger, Communications Manager,
OhioLINK, 614-728-3600 ext. 329, candi@ohiolink.edu
Columbus, Ohio (June 28, 2007) – Tom Sanville, executive director of the Ohio Library and Information Network (OhioLINK), is the 2007 recipient of the Professional Achievement Award for the Association for Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, a division of the 64,000 member American Library Association. The award is presented for professional achievement within the areas of networking and statewide service and programs. Sanville is the twelfth recipient of this award since its inception in 1993.
“Tom Sanville has made many important contributions to library resource sharing among academic libraries in Ohio during his fourteen years as executive director of OhioLINK,” commented Ruth O’Donnell, award committee chair.
When Sanville became executive director of OhioLINK in 1992, the academic library consortium was still in the planning and implementation phase. Today OhioLINK serves 600,000 students, faculty and staff at 17 public universities, 23 community/technical colleges, 43 private colleges and the State Library of Ohio. Under Sanville’s leadership, OhioLINK resources and services have grown dramatically to include a statewide library catalog of 46.1 million books and library materials, 140+ research databases, an award-winning electronic journal center with more than 7,000 titles, a digital media center with thousands of images, videos and audio files, 21,000 e-books and more. OhioLINK has delivered 6.8 million books and other physical library materials statewide and users have downloaded more than 100 million articles, images and videos since its inception.
Sanville also led the way for the partnership between public, academic and K-12 school libraries and the State Library of Ohio, which created Libraries Connect Ohio. Libraries Connect Ohio provides all Ohio citizens with access to core electronic information resources via their public, school or academic library and the Ohio Web Library (www.ohioweblibrary.org) Web site. Libraries Connect Ohio provides 50 databases and electronic information research resources, connecting Ohioans with free access to magazines, newspapers, literature, scholarly articles and educational practice tests.
“Tom has been active on the international stage, too, as one of the founders of the International Coalition of Library Consortia. His work on affordability of access to electronic databases has been groundbreaking, showing us all that librarians can successfully negotiate with vendors. His has been a long career with significant impact on library service and he is very deserving of the ASCLA Professional Achievement Award." O’Donnell said.
The award was presented during the American Library Association’s Annual Conference on Sunday, June 24.
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