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CHICAGO — Dr. Steven Yates, assistant director and assistant professor at the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) at the University of Alabama, is the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±app () 2021 Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship recipient.

The award, which seeks to acknowledge exceptional contributions to promoting the field of library and information science, reflects his accomplishments and service to the profession.

Yates began his professional career working in school and public libraries before becoming an instructor at the University of Alabama, where he is now an assistant director and a faculty member in the University’s College of Communication & Information Sciences and College of Education.

Yates has dedicated himself to fostering school libraries and librarians, developing an Education Specialist certification/degree program at SLIS in partnership with the College of Education, and serving as the school library media program coordinator.

Dr. Yates is well recognized in the greater library community, being a member of every division as well as a Life Member of . He has served in several leadership positions in , including president of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), Policy Corps, Forward Together Working Group co-chair, Steering Committee on Organizational Effectiveness, Committee on Appointments, Committee on Diversity, and Emerging Leaders Program Subcommittee.

In support of Dr. Yates, Ann K. Symons, Past President, notes that he “ticks all the boxes” for the award in standing up for librarians:

“Yates’s "boxes" include professional performance, teaching, and writing. Further, he is a charismatic speaker. When Yates speaks, people listen.

His experience is varied - he is a 2010 Emerging Leader, has served on the Committee on Diversity, is a life member of the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (AP), and is a member of the Black Caucus of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±app (BC) and the National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA). His values are evident in the work he has done for , in his writing, and in his speaking.

Yates also works to push the envelope. He sees something that needs to be done and works to fix issues whether they be local, statewide, or national. He is an advocate for our profession.

The Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship Jury members are Chair Roderick MacNeil, director of library operations, Thomas Jefferson University; J. Drusilla Carter, director, Pearle L. Crawford Memorial Library; Betsy Fraser, selector, Calgary Public Library; Mark Lopez, digital collections specialist, Library of Congress; and Robert R. Newlen, executive director, Dwight D. Opperman Foundation.

The award will be presented Sunday, June 27 at the 2021 virtual Annual Conference & Exhibition.

The deadline for submission of applications for the 2022 Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship is February 1, 2022. Guidelines and are available on the website.