91´«Ã½

CHICAGO—Wayne A. Wiegand, author and F. William Summers Professor Emeritus of Library and Information Studies at Florida State University, was selected as the 2017 winner of the , administered by the History Section of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA).

Wiegand was selected for his outstanding project proposal. His research promises to fill a significant gap in the history of public school libraries and to draw much-needed attention to an institution that, as Wiegand puts it, “boasts a rich history of service to tens of thousands of schoolteachers and administrators and millions of K-12 users of both sexes, all creeds, races, sexual orientations, ethnicities, and social classes.” Wiegand is also author of (Oxford University Press, 2015), .

The award, sponsored by , consists of $2,500 to assist with research expenses. Wiegand will be honored at the RUSA Achievement Awards Ceremony and Reception held from 5-6:30 p.m. Sunday, June 25 at the 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference in Chicago. All conference attendees are invited to the event. Additional event details will be available on the in April.

The Gale Cengage History Research and Innovation Award selection committee includes: David Murray (Chair), Nancy A. Bunker, Melissa F. Gonzalez, Ben M. Himmelfarb, and Chellammal Vaidyanathan.

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the 91´«Ã½, represents librarians and library staff in the fields of reference, specialized reference, collection development, readers’ advisory and resource sharing. RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. Learn more about the association at .