CHICAGO-The Acquisitions Section of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) has selected Karen Darling, head of acquisitions at the University of Missouri Libraries, to receive the 2008 Leadership in Library Acquisitions Award. The award will be presented on Sunday, June 29, at the ALCTS Awards Ceremony during the 2008 American Library Association (ALA) meeting in Anaheim, Calif.

The Leadership in Library Acquisitions Award, sponsored annually by Harrassowitz, is given to a librarian to recognize contributions and outstanding leadership in the field of acquisitions and includes a $1,500 gift.

Darling has a strong record of dedicated service to all of the institutions in which she has worked and the associations with which she has been active. She brings a global perspective to her work in Missouri through her international affiliations (and through the fact that she earned her advanced degree in London). Darling has demonstrated leadership in developing electronic collections at Missouri and has, in the words of one of her nominators, “helped faculty see librarians as moving the campus forward in electronic access, leading change rather than defending the status quo.”

Darling has had a long and distinguished career. She is currently the head of the acquisitions for the University of Missouri Libraries at Columbia and has held positions at the University of Oregon, the University of Texas at Austin and also the University of Arizona. Darling has presented many papers at ALA and at IFLA on serials and acquisitions management. She has been involved with ALCTS for many years in both the Acquisitions and Serials sections. Most recently, she has served on the ALCTS Board as director at large. She has also served on the ALCTS nominating and membership committees. In addition to being active in ALCTS, she has been on IFLA committees dealing with serial publications and has been a valued member of the North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG).

“Leadership in Library Acquisitions Award presented to Karen Darling.” American Library Association. 2008.
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2008/february2008/darling08.htm (Accessed 21 Feb, 2008)