Cassandra Hartnett
Government Documents Librarian
University of Washington


Served as Chair of the American Library Association's (ALA) Government Documents Round Table (GODORT).


In Spring 2011, Cass co-authored Fundamentals of Government Information: Mining, Finding, Evaluating, and Using Government Resources .

Eleanor Chase
Head of Government Documents
University of Washington

The recipient of the 2009 Bernadine Abbott Hoduski Award is Eleanor Chase, Head of the Government Publications Department at the University of Washington Libraries. This award recognizes Ms. Chase's significant contributions to the field of state, local and federal documents.

For more than 30 years Ms. Chase has served the citizens of Washington beginning in 1976 when she became the International Documents Librarian. In 1981 she accepted the appointment as Head of the Government Publications Department and assumed the role of U.S.

Documents Librarian. Ms. Chase is an expert in all government information, and often colleagues refer their toughest questions to her. Ms. Chase has been referred to as the "go to" person for GIS expertise in the University of Washington Libraries, having served as Principal Investigator for the Libraries in the Association of Research Libraries Geographic Information System Literacy Project (1992-1997). A supporter noted, "what stands out in Eleanor's career is her unflagging and passionate commitment to user-centered service and the right of all citizens to free access to government information."

Ms. Chase has been active in GODORT, having served on the Steering Committee from 1978-1985 and again in 1991-1992, and has also served in the Federal and International Documents Task Forces. Ms. Chase has also been involved with the Association of Public Data Users and the 2000 Census Committee. Her understanding of the Census is legendary in the state and region. At the state level, Ms. Chase has served on the Steering Committee of the Washington State Data Center since 1988 and the Washington State Library Coordinating Committee for a State Documents Plan (1984-1995).

In the state of Washington she has been referred to as the matriarch of all things documents. Ms. Chase's nomination letter noted "Her colleagues warmly refer to the dozens of librarians and graduate students who keep in touch with her as the "Eleanor Chase Alumni Society." She has taught the government publications class in the University of Washington Information School and has mentored countless graduate students in librarianship and other disciplines. One of the traits she shares with Bernadine Abbott-Hoduski is her natural skill of lobbying for resources. Ms. Chase represents the best of our profession, modeling leadership, service, creativity, and innovation, particularly in promoting and facilitating the use of government publications. In recognition of her contributions to state and local documents librarianship and to the community of documents librarians, GODORT is proud to present this award to Eleanor Chase.

Daniel Cornwall
Government Documents Librarian
Alaska State Library

The 2009 recipient of the LexisNexis/GODORT/ALA/Documents to the People Award is Daniel Cornwall. This award honors the individual "who has most effectively encouraged the use of government documents in support of library service." Daniel's colleagues in GODORT believe he is most deserving of this award because of his zeal for "openness and transparency of government information." They describe him as "a government information activist to the core," as demonstrated by his work with the Alaska State Library, GODORT, and numerous online endeavors that foster collaboration among government documents specialists, and promote government publications on a global scale.

At the Alaska State Library, Daniel has utilized the Internet to deliver both state and federal government information to citizens, as well as to preserve this information in electronic formats for future generations. Through GODORT Daniel has spearheaded the State Blue Books and State Agency Databases in order to improve members' access to valuable government resources and to encourage their contribution to the organization.

Daniel is probably best known for his efforts to highlight government information via the Web, especially through social networking sites. Facebook, Ning, Flickr, del.icio.us, Wikipedia, and YouTube are just a few of the outlets he has used to advocate depositories and their collections. Most notably, Daniel has created a strong presence on the Free Government Information site (FGI) where he has overseen the EPA Pilot Tagging Project and the Best Titles Ever compilation. His informative and influential blog posts on FGI connect documents librarians and other citizens to information tools for use in their professional and personal lives. Throughout his voluminous work, Daniel has written and advocated for ways of collecting, accessing, and preserving government information. He has been tireless in his outreach to both the library community and other user groups to make everyone aware of the critical issues surrounding government information. For all these reasons GODORT is very proud to present him with this year's "Documents to the People" Award.

Peggy Jarrett
Government Documents Librarian
Gallagher Law Library
University of Washington

Peggy Jarrett, government documents coordinator for the University of Washington's Gallagher Law Library has been named to the Federal Depository Library Program's Depository Library Council by Public Priner Bob Tapella.

Peggy is a Documents and Reference Librarian at Gallaher Law Library at the University of Washington. Jarrett is active in the Northwest Government Information Network, the American Association of Law Libraries, Government Documents Special Interest Section, the Law Libraries of Puget Sound and a frequent participant in Depository Library Council meetings. Her expertise in providing public access is supported by the many articles and presentations she has done on legal reference for non-law librarians.

The Council, composed of 15 members each of whom serve three year terms, advises the Public Printer on policy matters relating to the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). The FDLP, which traces its roots to 1813, provides access across the United States to the published information of all three branches of the government through partnerships with more than 1,220 libraries ranging from public libraries to research universities.

Robert Lopresti
Government Documents Librarian
Wilson Library
Western Washington University

Rob Lopresti has been an active member of NGIN since its inception. Not only does Rob keep busy with his library work but he is also a mystery writer.

The Short Mystery Fiction Society recognized Rob in the 2014 Derringer Awards for Best Short Story for "The Present" (Strand Magazine, February-May 2013).

Matt served as Secretary for ALA's Maps and Geography Round Table (MAGERT) from 2007 - 2010.

MAGERT is one of 15 round tables in the American Library Association. Formed in 1980, MAGERT--with over 380 members, the world's largest map library organization--provides a forum for people interested or involved in any aspect of map or geography librarianship.

The 2005 Bernadine Abbott Hoduski Founders Award is presented to Sue Selmer, retired Documents Librarian from the Everett Public Library in Everett, Washington. This award recognizes documents librarians who may not be known at the national level but who have made significant contributions to the field. Their contributions are to have benefited not only the individual's institution, but also the profession. These criteria easily describe Sue Selmer.

Sue began her professional career at the Everett Public Library when she became its government documents librarian. During her 33 years in this position, she was responsible for the local, state, and federal documents in the collection. The letters from her colleagues speak highly of her work in organizing the collection and publicizing government documents. Prior to Sue's arrival the documents in the library were shelved and little used. Sue began adding subject headings to those documents that she thought would be useful to the patrons and had those records included in the card catalog. Those of us who were young librarians at this time know that this was not the common practice within libraries. Sue began to work with documents beyond the federal collection by gathering city and county documents to supplement those issued by the state of Washington. As no classification system existed for these reports, she devised one. Government information on all levels was becoming accessible to the public.

Sue also began to publicize the documents within the library by working at the reference desk and informing her colleagues of their usefulness. As new librarians were hired, Sue gave them a test to determine their familiarity with government resources. Her continual training resulted in the reference staff being able to provide good service during her absence. With the use of email, she kept the staff aware of newly received publications by sending them weekly updates. She worked with the staff of the county law library, as well as those at Everett Community College library, to keep them informed of the public library's documents holding and services that she could provide. Sue also conducted an annual orientation class for the students at the community college. As her knowledge of the collection increased, Sue became a resource herself for the library. Library patrons were referred to her from both inside and outside the library. A fellow librarian at Everett Public said, "She was never too busy to spend whatever time was necessary in assisting them with research."

Sue was active in the documents activities within the Washington Library Association and was a founding member of the Northwest Government Information Network, a professional association of documents librarians in the Pacific Northwest. Sue's participation in state, regional, and national meetings allowed her to give input into the policy making decisions of the Federal Depository Library Program. A former director said, "Her highly professional demeanor was refreshing and she could be a formidable proponent of her cause."

Another supporter of Sue Selmer noted in her concluding statement, "she will remain in her colleagues' and the public's mind as someone who made a difference who served as a role model for new and aspiring librarians Sue demonstrated that the actions we take to index, archive, safeguard, and provide access to the records of our political life and times can have a permanent effect on our shared future." As one letter stated, "do recognize an unsung hero from a medium sized public library who believed in an individual's right to know what their government was doing." This is done, in part, with Sue Selmer receiving the 2005 Bernadine Abbott Hoduski Founders Award.

Thomas Stave
University of Oregon

The recipient of the 2007 Bernadine Abbott Hoduski Award is Tom Stave, Professor and Head of the Document Center at the University of Oregon Library. The Hoduski award recognizes documents librarians who have made significant contributions to government documents librarianship but may not be known nationally. Tom's influence on documents librarianship since he came to Oregon in 1980 has taken many forms, including personally mentoring documents librarians across the state, organizing the Documents Interest Group of Oregon (DIGOR), and drafting legislation to revise the statute authorizing Oregon's state depository program.

This award also recognizes librarians who have contributed to state, local and international documents librarianship. Here too Tom has contributed significantly. His Data for Local Communities web site containing statistical and other information about the Pacific Northwest was cited by several nominators as just one example of his commitment to making state and local information available to citizens. Tom has also actively collected and cataloged hard-to-find documents from local governments and regional offices of federal agencies, including county and city land use plans and National Environmental Policy Act documents.

While his collection and access activities are impressive, Tom's nominators were most eloquent about his influence on other librarians in the state. He has encouraged student workers to attend library school, organized training opportunities on topics like finding documents of Native American tribal organizations or finding statistical information on sub-state areas. Librarians who started their careers at the University of Oregon have taken what they learned from Tom to libraries across the country.

Tom's thorough knowledge of documents collections across Oregon makes him a crucial hub for referring questions, and nominators praise both his knowledge and his approachability when they are working to track down an elusive document.

In recognition of his contributions to state and local documents librarianship and to the community of documents librarians in the Pacific Northwest, GODORT is proud to present this award to Tom Stave.

Marilyn Von Seggern
Government Documents Librarian
Washington State University.


Marilyn was elected as a member of the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) Nominating Committee.

Lily Wai
Retired Librarian
University of Idaho

The recipient of the 2008 Bernadine Abbott Hoduski Award is Lily Wai, Professor Emeritus and former Head of the Government Document Department at the University of Idaho Library. This award recognizes Lily's significant contributions to the field of state, local and federal documents.

For more than 20 years Lily has served the citizens of Idaho and has provided leadership to the documents community in the Pacific Northwest as Head of the Regional Depository Library for the state of Idaho. Lily's major contribution was the development of INSIDE Idaho; a digital geospatial and statistical data clearinghouse which was initially developed with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (1999-2001) and several USGS CAP grants. The increasing demands for Idaho's geospatial information by educational institutions, government and business professionals, as well as Idaho citizens will be served in future generations through her visionary efforts.

Lily has been a long time advocate of citizen's rights to effect change and participate in the political process. One notable and innovative example occurred during the 2000 Census redistricting efforts in Idaho. Lily worked with the Idaho Redistricting Commission and libraries throughout the state to offer citizens opportunities to use GIS software to draw and submit suggestions for legislative and congressional district boundaries. Although Lily has retired from the library, she has continued to live out this conviction as an advocate by raising awareness for cancer research. The photo that has been included with this accolade typifies our friend and colleague and deserves some explanation. It was taken in Washington D.C. at the LiveStrong Day on May 16, 2007 where she participated as a representative from the state of Idaho lobbying for cancer research funding for NIH and NCI.

In recognition of her contributions to state and local documents librarianship and to the community of documents librarians in the Pacific Northwest, GODORT is proud to present this award to Lily Wai.