Contact:
Cara Schatz
+1.703.647.4917
cara@sla.org
Rachel Kolsky Honored by Special Libraries Association
The Member Achievement Award, sponsored by Dialog/ProQuest, rewards marketing efforts on behalf of SLA
London, United Kingdom, 4 December 2008--Rachel Kolsky, of SLA Europe, has been named the 2008 recipient of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) Member Achievement Award. The SLA Member Achievement Award is granted to an SLA member for promotional work that results in greater awareness or increased visibility of an SLA unit or the association. Kolsky is being recognized for her dedication to promoting and marketing SLA Europe and raising the profile of the association with information professionals outside North America. This award was sponsored by Thomson Reuters, which annually provides the recipient with a cash award of US$ 1,000. In 2009 the award will be sponsored by Dialog/ProQuest.
To view the full story on Kolsky's important work for SLA, visit SLA's Tactical TV Channel:
In selecting her as the 2008 recipient, the SLA Awards Committee cited Kolsky's work to spearhead a 2007 advertising campaign designed to raise awareness of SLA in Europe. The series of advertisements in Information World Review (IWR) were born from Kolsky's idea and featured a number of information professionals from various industries and countries across Europe. She identified the subjects and gathered approvals, images and text for each. She also served as an invaluable liaison to SLA Headquarters for the duration of the campaign. Additionally, she was recognized for her commitment to organizing the annual SLA Europe Breakfast during the Online Information conference in London, as well as for staffing the SLA exhibit booth (stand) during that important meeting each year, activities that have yielded new SLA members and increased prominence for the association within the European information community.
Kolsky has served in several roles for SLA Europe, including 2004 membership chair and on the SLA Europe Board of Directors as president in 2006. During her tenure on the board she championed increased SLA presence in events outside of London, and SLA Europe was invited to participate for the first time in a Journee d'Etude held by ADBS, the French professional organization for information professionals. Kolsky was named 2006 IWR Information Professional of the Year, and was also the top recruiter during SLA's membership drive in 2004.
"Rachel's dedication and enthusiasm for SLA is contagious, and despite leaving the position of membership chair for SLA Europe, it is clear that she hasn't slowed down one bit in promoting SLA and recruiting new members to the association over the years," said SLA Chief Executive Officer Janice R. Lachance. "She is certainly deserving of this award and I am so pleased her peers are honoring her efforts on behalf of SLA."
Kolsky has been an SLA member since 1997, but when she discusses what SLA has done for her professional success, Kolsky frequently talks about how, even after a decade of membership in SLA, she is still regularly what she calls "a first timer." Kolsky explains, "Through SLA I have been given my first chance to serve in a leadership role, my first chance to manage a large group of volunteers, and a chance to grow and to learn in a way that I wouldn't get anywhere else. The skills I have acquired and honed through participation in SLA have transferred directly to the workplace, and afforded me the confidence and success that I am experiencing in my career now." Kolsky continued, "I would like to thank the association as well as my fellow members and leaders from SLA for their support and encouragement over the years. SLA is such a great organization with wonderful benefits and I have really enjoyed promoting SLA to the European info pro community. I don't intend to slow down those efforts anytime soon!"
About SLA
The Special Libraries Association is a nonprofit global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners. SLA serves more than 11,000 members in 75 countries in the information profession, including corporate, academic, and government information specialists. SLA promotes and strengthens its members through learning, advocacy, and networking initiatives. For more information, visit us on the Web at www.sla.org.
Note to Editors and Producers: Images, b-roll, supporting interviews and testimonies are available for use in coverage of this story. Please contact the SLA Director of PR, Cara Schatz at +1.703.647.4917 or cara@sla.org for more information.
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