Hal Kirkwood, Saïd Business School's Bodleian Business Librarian, wins this year's BRASS Excellence in Business Leadership Award.
The award committee of the Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS) of the American Library Association, which recognises excellence in business librarianship, has named Hal Kirkwood, this year's awardee. The winning candidate must demonstrate sustained excellence in business librarianship across several key areas such as leadership, mentorship, development and teaching effective business information programming to students.
In its statement, the Awards Committee said:
‘Hal's contributions to business librarianship include extensive publication and editorial work related to business information literacy, entrepreneurship, and information sources.’
When asked how he felt about receiving the recognition, Hal commented:
‘I am deeply humbled to be considered even remotely within the same group of truly excellent and inspiring business librarians. The list of previous winners is filled with colleagues, mentors and librarians I looked up to as I began my own career’.
Hal, who has been at the Sainsbury Library - the dedicated Business and Management Library within Oxford University's Bodleian Libraries - since 2018, explained how the BRASS award differs from others.
‘It's awarded from the largest library related organisation in the world, the American Libraries Association. It represents to me a tremendous amount of work that was recognised as being substantial and notable. It also exemplifies the importance of business information literacy, the concepts of effectively searching, finding, and analysing quality information to make better, more informed business decisions.’
Commenting on what the BRASS award means for Oxford Saïd, Hal said that 'an award like this shines a light not just on what I specifically accomplish but on what we are all accomplishing here in supporting students and faculty in furthering the importance of information literacy in the classroom, in research, and then out in the workplace.’
Hal revised the most edition of the Strauss's Handbook of Business Information and has been involved in a number of collaborative projects supporting underrepresented communities and veterans. Currently, he is working with the European Business Libraries Group in developing a global benchmarking survey of database and data set holdings. Commenting on how that work aligns with Saïd Business School’s mission, he said:
‘The work I have done in the past to create a more inclusive and diverse environment for students has transferred to my time here at Oxford Saïd to provide that level of service and support, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed and thrive.’
Speaking about his tenure at Saïd Business School since joining in 2018 when he moved from Purdue University in Indiana in the United States, Hal said:
‘It has been an incredible adventure; to move overseas; to become part of the Bodleian and part of the University of Oxford's worldwide excellence, I have had the distinct honour to work with a great group within the Bodleian and more specifically within the Sainsbury Library.’
Manos Kapterian, Saïd Business School’s Chief Operating Officer commented:
‘We are very proud of Hal for his recognition as an exceptional Business Librarian. The BRASS Business Excellence in Librarianship Award is a considerable achievement representing Hal's composite work and stewardship to the broader profession. All of us at Saïd Business School congratulate Hal on his remarkable accomplishments and join in honour of our faculty's high calibre and delivery of quality business education.’
To learn more about the library, visit Sainsbury Library.