Cara Schatz
703.647.4917
cara@sla.org
SLA Names Jim Tchobanoff 2010 John Cotton Dana Award Recipient
Honored for Lifetime of Achievement and Dedication to the Association and Information Profession
Alexandria, Virginia, August 2, 2010 - Jim Tchobanoff, a longtime leader and innovator in the information profession, is the 2010 recipient of the Special Libraries Association's (SLA) John Cotton Dana Award.
The prestigious award, named for the founder of SLA, recognizes a lifetime of achievement as well as exceptional service to special librarianship and the information profession. The SLA Awards Committee cited Tchobanoff's leadership in the profession and volunteer work at all levels of the association during more than 30 years of membership.
"Jim's colleagues from across the association came out in droves to support his nomination, and I applaud the committee's choice to honor him with this much-deserved award," said 2010 SLA President Anne Caputo.
Tchobanoff's roles in SLA have included serving as president of the Minnesota Chapter (1979-1980), chair of the Food, Agriculture and Nutrition Division (1982-1983), and two terms on the Board of Directors (division cabinet chair 1983-1985 and director 1987-1990). He also chaired the Long Range Planning Committee (1984-1985), the Special Committee on Research (1985-1986), the Bylaws Committee (1994-1996) and the Committee on Committees (1996-2000).
Tchobanoff received SLA's President's Award in 1986 for his work on the Long Range Plan and again in 1988 for his contributions to the President's Task Force on the Value of the Information Professional. He was named a Fellow of SLA in 1991.
Former SLA President Stephen Abram commented on Tchobanoff's work rewriting SLA's governing documents. "Bylaws could make a grown man cry," said Abram, "and Jim helped make them simpler. That kind of insight has been very important to SLA moving forward."
Tchobanoff's accomplishments include developing SLA's first long-range strategic plan, creating the scope and research agenda for the association, and leading the membership effort that resulted in the expansion of SLA's professional development program. The testimonials and letters submitted in support of his nomination make clear, however, that Tchobanoff's most important contributions to SLA may have been as a diplomat, advisor, and mentor.
"I see in Jim's interactions, and in the stories he tells, the value in the relationships that he has formed and maintained with SLA members around the world, across committees and companies, divisions and departments," wrote Deb Rash, 2010 president of the Minnesota Chapter. "I have been immensely impressed with the level of dedication and mentorship that Jim has shown to our chapter, and I know that his level of participation and enthusiasm has spanned his whole career."
In addition to serving the association, Tchobanoff has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to innovate during his career. While working at the Pillsbury Company for 24 years, he led various teams that built a document warehouse system, giving researchers access to more than 100,000 internal research documents. He also created an R&D directory of employee expertise to harness Pillsbury's internal knowledge, and he planned, designed and implemented an electronic project notebook system to help researchers access and share information.
While working in the 1970s at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Medical Library as a senior clinical medical librarian, Tchobanoff, along with Carolyn Anne Reid, Russ Murphy and Gertrude Lamb, Ph.D., implemented the Clinical Medical Librarian Program. The librarians in this program make patient rounds as members of a teaching and patient care team, providing information services to team members. The program was ground-breaking and successfully introduced the concept of embedded medical librarianship to the profession.
Tchobanoff graduated with a bachelor of science degree in chemistry (1968) and master of arts in library science (1971) from the University of Michigan. He currently runs an independent library and information management consulting business in Arden Hills, Minn.
Tchobanoff was presented with his award on June 13 during the opening general session of the SLA Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO in New Orleans. To view a video about Tchobanoff and his achievements, visit the awards channel on SLA-TV.
About SLA
The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is a nonprofit global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners. SLA serves more than 10,000 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 www.sla.org.
Note to Editors and Producers: Headshots are available for use in coverage of this story. Please contact the SLA Director of PR, Cara Schatz, at 703.647.4917 or cara@sla.org for more information.
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