The Louis Round Wilson Academy recently honored eight individuals for outstanding contributions toward the advancement of information technology and library science.
The Louis Round Wilson Academy recently honored eight individuals for outstanding contributions toward the advancement of information technology and library science.
The academy is based at the School of Information and Library Science of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Honorees and their prizes in the academy’s second annual Knowledge Trust Honors Awards Program, sponsored by the school, were:
Ryan P. Allis, cofounder and chief executive officer of iContact in Durham, the Next Generation Leadership Award for young people whose study, innovation and independent thought shed new light on the world’s recorded knowledge. iContact is an on-demand email marketing service that allows organizations to create, send and track e-mail newsletters, RSS feeds, surveys and more.
The late Thomas Barnett of Chapel Hill, a Lifetime Achievement Award for work with the University of North Carolina Access Project. Barnett, who attended Elon University, designed the Web site for the project, a recent study of physical accessibility and student services at all 16 UNC campuses, conducted by UNC-Chapel Hill. Barnett, who lived with physical limitations from a progressive disease, died in June at age 22.
Thomas S. Blanton, director of the National Security Archive, the Access Award for promoting, expanding and enhancing access to the world’s recorded knowledge. The archive, a non-governmental research institute and library at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., collects and publishes declassified documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. It also contains other government records.
Jeffrey Elkner, a high school teacher in Arlington, Va., the Education Award for furthering the intelligence, integrity, responsibility and reliability of successive generations of knowledge professionals, creators and users. Elkner leads the Open Book Project, a Web site about open-source hardware and software that encourages students and teachers to develop freely distributed textbooks and educational materials.
John Hanke, director of Google Earth and Maps, the Exploration Award for creating or compiling new knowledge, tools and services. Hanke founded Keyhole Inc. to design a virtual globe for Web users. Google, of Mountain View, Calif., acquired Keyhole and, in 2005, released Google Earth, which shows computer users a bird’s-eye view of the world. They also can search for a site, zoom in on aerial images and layer driving directions over a 3-D map.
Pamela Jones, founder and editor of Groklaw.net, the Innovation Award for furthering the creative and innovative use of and balanced access to the world’s recorded knowledge. An open-source legal news and discussion Web site, Groklaw facilitates collaboration by the technical and the legal communities. Its 12,000 volunteers research case evidence and post legal filings in plain terms on the site, making them easily accessible and searchable.
Brewster Kahle, director and co-founder of the non-profit Internet Archive in San Francisco, the Preservation Award for archiving, prioritizing, defending and protecting the Knowledge Trust. Kahle developed tools that enabled creation and maintenance of a worldwide digital library, with the goal of universal access to all knowledge. His digital archive is now one of the world’s largest. He also has built technologies, companies and institutions to advance universal access to knowledge.
David P. Reed, an adjunct professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Laboratory and a fellow at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, the Wilson Prize for Lifetime Achievement, for accomplishment in knowledge exploration, compilation and stewardship in service to society. Reed is a pioneer in the design and construction of the Internet protocols, distributed computer systems and PC software systems and applications. He has served on boards that advise the federal government about future communications technologies.
School of Information and Library Science Web site: http://sils.unc.edu/
School of Information and Library Science contact: Wanda Monroe, (919) 843-8337, wmonroe@email.unc.edu