2020
professor emeritus of the School of Information Science and Learning Technologies, University of Missouri (SISLT)
About
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Budd was hailed by his colleagues as a leader in education for librarianship for decades. One of his former students reflected on a research methods class where “…we were taught how to think critically about how theory should inform practice, and vice versa.” They went on to say that Budd showed them …”what it meant to build a research project upon a theoretical framework.” Another colleague delighted in recounting how a current student found a “vexing theoretical-definitional problem solved…” by Dr. Budd’s scholarship. Throughout his career he used critical theory to work through the practices of librarianship. Dr. Budd challenged us “… to think philosophically and practically about librarianship and provides guidance for employing ethical discourse vital for … life in a democratic society.” As his nomination material elucidated, Budd published widely and authoritatively on issues related to libraries, democracy and information access. His more recent books, Democracy, Economics, and the Public Good: Informational Failures and Potential and Six Issues Facing Libraries Today: Critical Perspectives , “… illustrate his ability to explain the crucial roles that libraries play in shaping and serving the public good. He is one of the senior scholars in our field who articulates both theoretical and practical directions for libraries and democratic values.”