The Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library received three distinguished awards at the 2022 American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting, held in Denver, Colorado, earlier this month. The Law Library is grateful to be recognized by our distinguished law library peers, and humbled to serve the profession of law librarianship alongside a remarkable community of advocates for access to justice and legal information.
First, the Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library was honored with the 2022 Government Law Libraries O. James Werner Award for Distinguished Service to Persons with Disabilities. This distinction, which recognizes significant contributions for services provided by law libraries to persons with disabilities, was awarded to the Harris County Hainsworth Law Library for its innovative work with STAN, a virtual presence device used in the Law Library througout the COVID-19 pandemic to triage the information needs of library patrons and serve the maximum number of people within required occupancy and social distancing guidelines. In particular, STAN was recognized for offering a touchless point of contact designed to enable all library users, regardless of physical ability, to interact remotely with the reference staff and access the library’s resources.
Second, Sabrina A. Davis, Associate Law Librarian for Digital and Educational Services, was also recognized by the American Association of Law Libraries as a well-deserving recipient of the 2022 AALL Emerging Leader Award, a distinction granted to newer members of AALL who, early in their careers, have made significant contributions to the field of law librarianship, and have demonstrated the potential for leadership and service within the Association.
Last but not least, Law Library Director, Joseph D. Lawson, was awarded the 2022 American Association of Law Libraries Volunteer Service Award, for his significant contributions to the work of AALL, including service on special projects, educational programs, and the Annual Meeting Program Committee, as well as leadership roles within the AALL Special Interest Sections and our local AALL chapter, the Houston Area Law Librarians.
Congratulations to all!