Bill Slauenwhite to Receive the 2013 APLA Merit Award

The Atlantic Provinces Library Association is pleased to announce that this year’s recipient of the APLA Merit Award is Mr. Bill Slauenwhite, Manager of Novanet – The Consortium of Nova Scotia Academic Libraries.  

The APLA Merit Award is presented annually to someone who has made an outstanding contribution to library services in our region.  Glowing letters of support for his nomination attest to the respect and gratitude that Bill has earned from colleagues throughout the region.  The following are just a few quotes from some of those letters:

“Perhaps what speaks most to Bill’s character is the astounding reception received when

individuals were approached and asked if they would be willing to write a letter of nomination

on his behalf. In my opinion, Bill represents what it means to be part of the greater library

community and I wholeheartedly recommend that he be awarded our 2013 APLA Merit Award.”

“As the only non-university member of Novanet, Bill has always made NSCC feel like an equal and valued

partner in the consortium. He actively seeks our input and representation on all committees and

working groups. It has been through his encouragement, coaching and support that NSCC staff are as

involved as they are now in major consortial initiatives.”

“When colleagues in other parts of the country consider the Atlantic Region, it is my impression that Bill

Slauenwhite is one of the first names that would come to mind, and he has enhanced the reputation of

Novanet and academic libraries in the region. He has been successful in consortial networking and

knowledge transfer activities among the consortia. Bill’s friendly, self-effacing approach allows him to

work with many different institutions and people, to achieve results which benefit all involved.” 

“As Project Manager for Aleph implementation Bill went above and beyond the call of duty to

organize and oversee all aspects of the new ILS implementation, such as selecting the

training team, coordinating data extraction and testing data loads, working many evenings

and weekends to complete the implementation in record time. To get buy-in from the

Novanet community Bill took his Aleph show on the road, visiting all Novanet sites and

demonstrating the new ILS to its new users. To ensure a happy community, Bill arranged

for simultaneous training sites in Sydney and Halifax. Overseeing the day to day operations

of Aleph, troubleshooting any problem you give him, investigating new ideas and always

looking forward are examples of what you want in a leader; this is Bill in a nutshell.”

Please join us in celebrating Bill Slauenwhite for his outstanding service to our region and our profession, at the Merit Award Banquet to be held Thursday, May 16, 2013 in Charlottetown.