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The 2007 recipient of the W. David Rozkuszka Scholarship is Michael Schmidt M.A. candidate in the School of Information Resources and Library Science at the University of Arizona. Michael currently serves as a library specialist in the Government Documents department at Arizona State University’s Hayden Library. However, his practicum at the Tempe Public Library demonstrates his interest in possibly using his skills as a Government Document specialist beyond academia in a public library.

Michael’s interest in librarianship stems from that same inner quality that drives the profession, namely a passion to serve the public. Whether it’s finding the answer to that elusive reference question or the thrill of teaching, Michael sums it up simply as, “I enjoy helping people.” His career aspirations build upon his principle commitment to broadly “connect library users with the information and services they need” and his fundamental belief that this connection will make “positive changes in their lives.”

Michael’s interest and commitment to preservation and his work with rare government documents is equally worth noting. However, it is his grasp of the complexity of the issues related to our emerging role in public service as our collections quickly move from tangible to intangible that is most impressive. It is a pleasure to award this scholarship to an individual who will join us in envisioning a new model of service in our emerging digital age.