2011-03-21

Barbara J. Ford, director of the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs, will be honored at the annual International Achievement Awards Banquet on the evening of April 14, 2011.  She will receive the Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement.  This annual award recognizes the work of a current University faculty member who shows exemplary work in teaching, research, and public service in the international arena.

Professor Ford, who received her MS in Library Science at Illinois in 1973 and her MA in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1969, is being honored for her long and distinguished academic career in developing educational programs for librarians around the world and promoting a global vision of librarianship through her work as president of the Association of College and Research Libraries from 1990-1991, president of the American Library Association from 1997-1998, and as an elected member of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Governing Board from 2005-2009. In addition, the Mortensen Center has brought librarians from over 90 countries to Illinois and, under Professor Ford’s leadership, has initiated international collaborations and partnerships in Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia.  Professor Ford’s international activities began when she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama and Nicaragua.

To read the full news release on the Illinois International website, please visit http://illinois.edu/lb/article/2500/49270 .

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