The "Knowledge is Power" Award recognizes an individual who is an outstanding Government
Documents Librarian and active supporter and advocate for the use of government information
in education, research, and/or commerce. Active support of government information access can
take the form of presentations, scholarly papers, Web resources, or any other appropriate
creative activity. The award recognizes past as well as present government information
involvement. MARCIVE, Inc., of San Antonio, very generously sponsors the award with $400 to
express appreciation to the recipient.
This year I am very pleased to announce that Suzanne Sears of the University of North Texas
Libraries has been selected as the recipient of the "Knowledge is Power" Award.
The nomination of Ms. Sears notes her 3-decades-long (yes, from the cradle) involvement with
government documents and her extensive list of accomplishments in that arena, which include
many leadership roles at local, regional and national levels. Most recently she served on the
Depository Library Council from October 2008 to May 2011 and led its efforts as chair in the
final year of her appointment. In addition, she is currently chair of the American Library
Association Government Documents Round Table, she is active and seen as a leader in the North
Texas Regional Documents Group, and she served on the board in the Oklahoma Library
Association’s GODORT from 1998-2007. She is frequently invited as a consultant to documents
libraries and documents librarians, and she has been invited to submit written testimony to the
US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Oversight of the Committee on House
Administration, sharing her expert opinion on the Government Printing Office’s transition to the
future.
The members of the TLA GODORT Awards committee unanimously agreed that Ms. Sears
deserves this award. One member writes "She is a tireless advocate. Her experience and
knowledge are highly valued by the government documents community." Another member
writes "She is a leader in the field. At UNT, she has worked on and championed many wellknown initiatives, such as the Cyber Cemetery, and Portal to Texas History. Many of her
presentations and articles focus on effectively marketing government information, explaining
the various resources, how to use them, and how to get them to the people who need them,
but don’t know they are available. Her advocacy and passion for government information is truly
impressive. Suzanne is also an excellent mentor to those entering into government information
librarianship."
At this time I invite Jim Noel of MARCIVE, Inc., to the podium to congratulate Ms. Sears and to
present the award check.
[…]
Thank you, Jim. Suzanne's contributions consistently focus on the breadth of government
information, its versatility in supplying information to fulfill a wide variety of needs, and the
importance of maintaining collections of government information for public use. Through her
extensive activities as an instructor and guide to government documents and through her
willingness to share her knowledge and expertise via the printed and spoken word, she
demonstrates the principle that knowledge empowers individuals to attain personal goals and
to improve society as a whole. Her career is a testament to the egalitarian foundations of
democratic government ... that an informed electorate brings about a better society, and that
the collection and provision of government information to the public is an intrinsic good that
benefits us all.
It is with great pleasure that I present this plaque to Suzanne as an emblem of our recognition
and appreciation for her leadership and advocacy for government information. Congratulations,
Suzanne.