For Immediate Release
May 2004

LITA/Endeavor Student Writing Award Winner Announced

Judy Jeng, currently enrolled in the Ph.D program at the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies (SCILS) at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, has been named the winner of the 2004 LITA/Endeavor Student Writing Award, sponsored by Endeavor Information Systems, Inc. and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of the American Library Association.

The LITA/Endeavor Student Writing Award recognizes outstanding writing on a topic in the area of libraries and information technology by a student or students enrolled in an ALA-accredited library and information studies graduate program. The winning manuscript will be published in Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL), and the winner receives $1,000 and a certificate of merit.

"Endeavor Information Systems is committed to developing advanced technology software solutions for libraries, so it is fitting for our company to sponsor the LITA-Endeavor Student Writing Award. We believe it is important to recognize and reward talent in the library technology world," said Donald J. Muccino, Endeavor Chief Operating Officer and Vice-President of Customer Services. "Endeavor values partnering with LITA to identify, with this award, the emerging talent and excellent contributions of library school students to the advancement of knowledge in the field of library technology ."

Jeng’s paper, "What is Usability in the Context of Digital Libraries and How Can It Be Measured” reviews how usability has been defined in the context of digital libraries, what methods have been applied, their applicability, and proposes an evaluation model and a suite of instruments for evaluating usability for academic digital libraries. Her research is clearly presented on a timely and useful topic that is highly relevant to libraries and related information technology used by libraries. Publication of her paper will contribute to the education of the library profession.

“On behalf of the LITA/Endeavor Student Writing Award Committee, I am very pleased to recognize Judy’s thorough research and exceptional manuscript with this award,” said Del Hamilton, chair of the award committee.

The award will be presented at the LITA President's Program on Monday, June 28, 2004 at the ALA Annual Conference in Orlando.