Congratulations to Ilana Barnes, this year’s recipient of BRASS Gale Cengage Student Travel Award. Barnes is enrolled in the Master’s program at the University of Michigan School of Information, and is pursuing a specialization in both library and information services and preservation of information. She is currently serving as president of the University of Michigan’s ALA student chapter. Barnes earned a B.A. in history, with honors, from the University of Washington. In addition to her current coursework and position at the Kresge Business Administration Library, she is also a reference assistant-spatial and numeric data services at the University’s Clark Library.
Ilana Barnes’ enthusiasm and dedication to business librarianship is shown through her personal statement submitted to the awards jury: “Business reference is my greatest passion as a librarian. I love navigating the ins and outs of 10-k filings, the thrill of finding a student the exact market research report, and hearing about all the incredibly creative and innovative work students do. The best thing about business libraries (and why I am interested in them as a career) is that they are strongly application-based. The people studying in business school are not typical academics. They are interested in applying what they are learning in class to the greater business community at large. Things that are taught in business schools have real applications on our economic lives. If business school curricula have the ability to change the way that the business community is led and managed, then business libraries have the ability to change how the business community finds, analyzes and uses information. I feel like Business Librarians have an impact on the lives of real people every day.” Ms. Barnes is president of the University of Michigan’s ALA student chapter and is the BRASS representative to the ALA RUSA “Just Ask!” marketing initiative. Her extensive business librarian skills are praised in her letters of support.
Barnes will be honored at the RUSA Awards Reception, scheduled for 5 – 6:30 p.m. Sunday, June 24 as a part of RUSA’s events at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif. The exact location of this event will be announced in late spring. For more information, visit RUSA’s website or the Annual Conference website.
Carol Anderson, 2011-2012 chair