"ProQuest salutes Julia Blixrud's relentless commitment to outreach and discussion within the library and publishing communities," said Marty Kahn, CEO of ProQuest.  "She has truly played a pivotal role in bringing new perspectives to serials publishing and we are honored to help recognize her achievements through this award."

Early in her career, Blixrud was project manager for CONSER's A&I Coverage Project, which enriched the emerging serials record database with essential abstracting and indexing information. At this time, serials were primarily in print format, and the CONSER A&I project created important access points to the growing body of scholarly publications. In recent years, Blixrud has been a catalyst in scholarly publishing's digital revolution, as a key developer and proponent of both SPARC and BioOne. From print to online, from punch cards to digitization, Julia Blixrud has been at the forefront of developments in serials work and scholarly communication.

With more than 70 publications and a record of presentations in virtually every state of the union and internationally, Blixrud's contributions to the advancement of serials librarianship are unparalleled. She has labored tirelessly in her outreach efforts within the library and academic communities to broaden understanding of the complex economic and political issues in scholarly publishing. Only an exceptionally skilled individual could spearhead fundamental change in our system of scholarly publishing. On top of her outstanding credentials and deep knowledge of the issues, Blixrud enjoys an outstanding reputation among her peers.

The award consists of a citation and a $1,500 cash award donated by ProQuest/Ulrich's. The award is given for distinguished contributions to serials librarianship, including but not limited to those made within the previous three years, demonstrated by such activities as leadership in serials-related activities through participation in professional associations and/or library education programs, contributions to the body of serials literature, conduct of research in the area of serials, development of tools or methods to enhance access to or management of serials, other advances leading to a better understanding of the field of serials.

For more information visit http://www.ala.org/ala/alcts/alctsawards/CSAulrichs/CSAulrichs.htm