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Robert A. Walter, Dean of the Leonard H. Axe Library at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, is the 2004 recipient of the James Bennett Childs Award. This award is a tribute to an individual who has made a lifetime and significant contribution to the field of documents librarianship.

This award is being presented to Bob for his distinguished and sustained contributions to documents librarianship. During his career of 25 years he has played an active part within GODORT. Most of this work has been concerned with the legislative activities of the organization. He has been both a member and chair of the GODORT Legislation Committee for over half of his 25-year career. Within he has represented GODORT by being a member of the Committee on Legislation, the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Government Information and the Legislation Assembly. Bob not only served more than one term on these committees, but he also chaired these committees. He also was appointed as GODORT's representative to the Inter-Association Working Group on Government Information Policy. As one of his letters stated "Bob is one of those rare individuals who can contribute on so many levels - as a passionate and articulate spokesperson of an issue, as a behind the scenes crafter of resolution language, as an organizing leader or strategy facilitator - and make it all seem so effortless in the process."

Bob also has supported the government depository library program by serving on the Depository Library Council from 1984-1987. A former chair of the Council noted that "Bob was a major contributor to the writing of Council recommendations and served as a facilitator during lively and contentious meetings with the Superintendent of Documents and the government documents librarians representing the depositories across the country."

Within the state of Kansas, Bob has been very active. He has promoted documents and their use during his tenure as Documents Librarian at Pittsburg State University and has continued this after his appointment to Director and then Dean of the library. In the Kansas Library Association (KLA) he has worked hard within its GODORT chapter since he arrived in the state in 1981. During 1983/84 he served as chair of KLA/GODORT and as a reward for his work he either volunteered or was volunteered to help develop and write the state plan for the state. Bob has just finished his term of president of KLA, which in Kansas requires one to agree to a three-year commitment. In the years between the above-mentioned positions, he agreed to serve as the KLA Parliamentarian. He has held this position for 12 years. This would have been 15 years but he took off three years when he won the election to serve as President. Outside of KLA he has represented librarianship by accepting governor appointed positions on the Kansas Library Network Board (1998-2004) and the Kansas State Library Advisory Commission (1987-1995). During his tenure he agreed to chair both organizations. Previous to his appointment to the Kansas Library Network Board, he served on that Board's Committee on Preservation (1990-1993).