Oak Creek WI (March18, 2016) --- The Art Libraries Society of North America is please to announce Ann Baird Whiteside as the 2015 recipient of the distinguished Service Award, the twenty-fifth person who has been honored.  Ann is the librarian/assistant dean for information resources at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.  The award was presented by Jolene de Verges and Mark Pompelia at the ARLIS/NS + VRA joint conference convocation ceremony held in Seattle, Washington on Friday, March 11, 2016.

The Distinguished Service Award honors an individual of any country whose exemplary service in art librarianship, visual resources curatorship, or a related field, has made an outstanding national or international contribution to art information.  Ann was simultaneously honored with the Visual Resources Association's Distinguished Service Award, which marks the first time an individual has been chosen for both awards.  Ann is also the only person to have served as president of both organizations.

The many letters of support for Ann's nomination highlight her outstanding and sustained service to the profession as an exemplary leader.  Ann has served ARLIS/NA for many years in a variety of leadership positions including President, chair of the Standards Committee, and chair of the ARLIS/NA - VRA joint conference task force.  At the University of Virginia, MIT, and now at Harvard, Ann works with committees and other groups to encourage collegial communication.  Ann as described as far-sighted, patient, inspirational, a creative thinker, and supportive of variant viewpoints.  Colleagues pointed out numerous achievements, including the SAHARA project, a digital image archive developed by the Society of Architectural Historians in conjunction with Artstor. 

SAH congratulates Ann on this outstanding award. 

Read full press release  here