iSchool Student Wins LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award for Second Year in a Row

News

Congratulations are due to SJSU School of Information student Heather Terrell for winning the 2015 LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award for her paper, “Reference Is Dead, Long Live Reference: Electronic Collections in the Digital Age.”

While putting the finishing touches on her e-portfolio, San José State University (SJSU) School of Information student Heather Terrell received the exciting news that she is the winner of the 2015 LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award for her paper, “Reference Is Dead, Long Live Reference: Electronic Collections in the Digital Age.”

The award is sponsored by Ex Libris Group and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) and, according to the LITA press release, “recognizes outstanding writing on a topic in the area of libraries and information technology by a student or students enrolled in an ALA-accredited library and information studies graduate program.”

Terrell has been working in libraries since 2008 and is a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree candidate at the SJSU School of Information with plans to graduate in May 2015. Discussing her experience at the iSchool on the virtual convocation website, Terrell noted that she especially appreciated “the way it has broadened my perspective and sharpened my skills.” Similarly, Terrell’s award-winning paper is also about new perspectives—it explores the topic of electronic reference and examines how libraries can build hybrid collections in the future.

Terrell’s paper will be published in an upcoming issue of Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL). The LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award comes with $1,000 and a certificate of merit, which will be presented at the LITA awards ceremony on June 28, 2015, during the ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco.

Terrell is the second SJSU iSchool student in a row to win the LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award, following on the heels of iSchool alumna Brighid Mooney Gonzales (MLIS 2014).