Jean L. Hirons, coordinator of the Cooperative Online Serials (CONSER) Program in the Serial Record Division at the Library of Congress, received the Margaret Mann Citation from the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).
Jean Hirons - Gregory Cannon
The award was presented June 17 at the ALCTS President's Program, during the ALA Annual Conference, June 13Ð19 in Atlanta.
The Margaret Mann Citation Committee presented the award to Hirons for her "extraordinary contributions to serials cataloging." According to the citation, Hirons has influenced both the theory and practice of serials cataloging in a changing environment.
Hirons' most notable contribution has been revising the "Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules" (AACR) to accommodate serials and developing the Serials Cataloging Cooperative Training Program, a new concept in library training. She enlisted the help of colleagues from the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada in order to explore and propose broad changes to the cataloging rules. They expanded the existing AACR2 Chapter 12 for serials to cover a new concept of "continuing resources" by introducing new rules for the cataloging of Web sites, databases and looseleafs. The new rules will be issued in August and implemented by libraries later this year.
Hirons holds a master's degree in library science from the University of Rhode Island and a bachelor's degree in fine art from Marietta College, Ohio. From 1997 to 1999, she worked with colleagues nationwide to develop a new concept in training, which built on the collaborative model of CONSER. CONSER is a cooperative program consisting of 30 libraries, including the Library of Congress and the National Library of Canada, which builds and maintains a master database of authoritative bibliographic records for serials and creates and promulgates serials cataloging standards for the United States and other countries. To date, three courses have been released, and two more are in the works for release in 2002-2003.
Established in 1951, the award is named after Margaret Mann, a pioneer in library cataloging and classification whose contributions in the first half of the 20th century continue to have influence today. It recognizes "outstanding professional achievement in cataloging or classification, either through publication of significant professional literature, participation in professional cataloging associations, demonstrated excellence in teaching cataloging, or valuable contributions to practice in individual libraries." The award also includes a $2,000 donation from the Online Computer Library Center to the library school of the winner's choice. Hirons will give the scholarship to her alma mater, the University of Rhode Island, which named her alumna of the year in 2002.
