LAUC-LA 1999 Librarian of the Year Award

Sara Shatford Layne

Sara Shatford Layne, Head of the Cataloging Department in the Science and Engineering Library, has been a prominent figure in the national cataloging scene for several years. We make this award, however, not in recognition of her significant external contributions to cataloging, but with the deep regard for her selfless devotion to helping the UCLA Library system "get it right" with respect to implementing the new online system--ORION2. What people who have worked with her have seen first-hand is her gentle but effective persistence in coaxing the emerging system towards its greatest potential.

As co-author (with Martha Yee) of last year's ALA publication "Improving Online Public Access Catalogs," she demonstrated a sophisticated grasp of catalog design and user needs in a presentation of desirable features for OPACs. During the development of ORION2 she has put these principles to work, advocating a system that combines sophisticated functionality with a clear and rational user interface.

It would be impossible to exaggerate the vital role that Sara has played this past year as Chair of Advisory Committee on Cataloging in the ORION2 implementation process. She has drafted, written, revised and polished countless numbers of e-mails, analyses, summaries, responses, recommendations, and alerts on behalf of ACC. The sheer volume of ORION2 information and correspondence that she has taken responsibility for this past year is staggering. She is famous for her effectiveness in defining the boundaries of problems, giving accurate evaluations of their impact on workflow, and communicating this to administration. Her leadership in safeguarding UCLA's new ORION database against partly tested software (and partly trained staff) has molded system-wide policies on TAOS deployment, authorizations, and training, not just testing methodology.

As the Testing Coordinating Team can attest, her contributions will have a fundamental impact on the future of technical processing at UCLA.

We can think of no other librarian so deserving of the LAUC-LA Librarian of the Year award this year. While the UCLA community may never recognize the debt it owes Sara, as catalogers and librarians, we do know. And we hope that you will join us in acknowledging that debt of gratitude by celebrating her receiving this most important LAUC-LA award.

Committee on the LAUC-LA Distinguished Librarian Award

Tina-Karen Forman, Chair

Leon Ferder

Alan Carr

Ray Ingersol (faculty rep.)