|
WMU Home > About WMU > WMU News
Bettina Meyer is Michigan Librarian of the YearAug. 1, 2006 KALAMAZOO--Bettina S. Meyer, assistant dean of University Libraries at Western Michigan University, has received the highest accolade of the Michigan Library Association and will be honored Oct. 11 at the MLA Annual Conference in Detroit as the state's Librarian of the Year. "Bettina is known for her ability to blend traditional roles with forward thinking, for focusing on the end-user and for embracing new technologies to enhance accessibility," wrote MLA Executive Director Gretchen Couraud in announcing the award. Meyer has been involved in advancing library technology and accessibility since she joined the WMU library faculty in 1978. She also initially served as development officer for libraries and continues in that role as a principal liaison with the Friends of the University Libraries, an external support organization. In the mid-1990s, Meyer delivered several public presentations on the general theme of the "21st Century Library," predicting the rapidity and range of the sweeping technological advances libraries have experienced during the past decade. Meyer was a key member of the WMU team that produced "Dirt Roads to Super Highways," a 1996 instructional video on using the University Libraries' "new" state-of-the-art electronic resources. The video won an Award of Distinction in the university category at the Communicator Awards, a nationwide competition, which that year drew more than 2,700 entries from 43 states. More recently, Meyer has received awards to support the libraries' digitization capabilities and was part of a WMU team that received a $95,000 grant to digitize the Civil War diaries of eight men from Midwestern states who served in the Union army. Meyer, who holds the faculty rank of associate professor, is scheduled to retire with emerita status in June 2007, concluding 29 years of service to WMU. She received her undergraduate degree from Capital University and a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Arizona. Media contact: Thom Myers, (269) 387-8400, thom.myers@wmich.edu WMU News |
