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  • portal: Libraries and the Academy 2012 Johns Hopkins University Press Award for Best Article
  • Sarah M. Pritchard

The portal: Libraries and the Academy Board of Editors Awards Committee is pleased to announce that "Receptivity to Library Involvement in Scientific Data Curation: A Case Study at the University of Colorado Boulder," featured in the October 2011, Volume 11, Number 4 issue, has been awarded the 2012 Johns Hopkins University Press Award for the best article featured in portal in the 2011 volume, http://muse.jhu.edu. After an independent review of articles nominated by board members, "Receptivity to Library Involvement in Scientific Data Curation" was selected as the eighth annual recipient. The winning article, authored by Kathryn Lage, Barbara Losoff, and Jack Maness, is notable for its thoughtful, new approach to tackling a significant issue affecting libraries, research faculty, and campuses. Lage, Losoff, and Maness' application of a clever methodology uncovers valuable insights for gauging receptivity and identifying issues surrounding the management of scientific data. We applaud the authors' engagement of other campus constituencies; their methodology offers a model for developing the strategic linkages academic librarians will need to be leaders in shaping data curation. The article expands our understanding of the challenges for data users and frames a way forward that can position the library in offering data services on campus. How we address data curation may well be one of the game-changing questions for research libraries in this decade, so this article is timely, providing the valuable perspective of data users and outlining a strategic approach. The article promises to have enduring impact over time.

The criteria used in the selection process for this award included the quality of research methodology, the extent to which the article places library issues in a broader academic or higher education context, the extent to which the article makes a significant contribution to the literature or the advancement of knowledge, its timeliness, originality, and the overall quality of writing. The Editorial Board is pleased to emphasize the need for visionary approaches to major professional concerns that require significant [End Page 349] investment of resources, have a fundamental role in shaping scholarly communication and that have an impact on access to information at every stage from creation to dissemination to archiving. In addition to the Johns Hopkins University Press Award, the authors will receive a five hundred dollar cash prize. [End Page 350]

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