Brian Coutts named 2014 Marta Lange/SAGE-CQ Press Award Winner

Chicago, IL and Los Angeles, CA - Brian E. Coutts, professor and head of the department of library public services at Western Kentucky University, has been awarded the 2014 Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Law and Political Science Section (LPSS) Marta Lange/SAGE-CQ Press Award. The award, established in 1996 by LPSS, honors an academic or law librarian who has made distinguished contributions to bibliography and information service in law or political science.

SAGE-CQ Press, sponsor of the award, will present the $1,000 award and plaque to Coutts during the 2014 ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas.

“Brian was selected in recognition of his long and distinguished service to many of ACRL’s Law and Political Science’s Program Planning Conference committees and serving two terms as LPSS member-at-large,” said award chair Kelly Janousek, librarian at California State University, Long Beach. “His many years of service and chairing both C&RL News and RCL: Resources for College Libraries Editorial Boards represent exemplary dedication to the Association.

“Brian's scholarship is impressive, beginning his research and writing about Belize when it was still British Honduras, and over time interviewing all of the former Prime Ministers of that country for biographical sketches of their lives for two editions of The Encyclopedia of Latin American History & Culture. He has been a true leader at Western Kentucky University, overseeing collection development and outreach initiatives that have been highly-regarded in his campus community. As his nominator put it, ‘Like Marta Lange, he’s a model of professional service and inspiration to others.’”

Coutts received his BA and MA from the University of Calgary, Canada, and his MLS and PhD from Louisiana State University.

“We are delighted that Brian Coutts has been recognized for his service to ACRL’s Law and Political Science Sections. Brian is a distinguished librarian, researcher, and a leader on his campus,” stated Todd Baldwin, Executive Director, Online Library & Reference Publishing. “SAGE and CQ are proud to support an award that celebrates  the inspirational legacy of the late Marta Lange as well as those who make important contributions to the bibliography and information services in law and political science.”

For more information regarding the ACRL LPSS Marta Lange/SAGE-CQ Press Award, or a complete list of past recipients, please visit http://www.ala.org/acrl/awards/achievementawards/martalangecq.

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ACRL is a division of the American Library Association, representing more than 11,500 academic and research librarians and interested individuals. ACRL is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products and services to meet the unique needs of academic and research librarians. Its initiatives enable the higher education community to understand the role that academic libraries play in the teaching, learning and research environments. ACRL is on the Web at http://www.acrl.org/, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ala.acrl and Twitter at @ala_acrl.