Eleanor Frierson Named 2010 Federal Librarian of the Year

May 17, 2011

National Agricultural Library (NAL) Deputy Director Eleanor Frierson has been named "Federal Librarian of the Year" for 2010 by the Federal Library and Information Center Committee (FLICC) of the Library of Congress for her leadership and direction of NAL and her service as co-chair of the Science.gov Alliance. 

Frierson, Deputy Director at NAL since 2000, was honored along with other award winners at the 28th Annual FLICC Forum on Federal Information Policies on May 17 at the Library of Congress in Washington. The winners formally received their awards from Deanna Marcum, Associate Librarian for Library Services at the Library of Congress. The FLICC awards are given annually to identify and support the many innovative ways that federal libraries, librarians and library technicians fulfill the information demands of government, business, scholarly communities, the American public, and citizens worldwide.

Frierson brings to her work many years of diversified experience in information service development and management at national and international levels. She has initiated and maintained public and private partnerships with a wide variety of organizations, effectively building networks by engaging individuals through her commitment to open information access.

In selecting Frierson for her award, FLICC cited her important contributions to the development of Science.gov, the Web-based system that provides reliable information about science and technology from a wide range of U.S. government organizations. As co-chair of the Science.gov Alliance, she oversaw major enhancements to the site, expansion of its valuable content and the development of key policies.

In addition to her work with Science.gov, Frierson also chairs the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) Government Information and Official Publications Section and serves as the U.S. representative to the WorldWideScience.org Alliance. 

Before coming to NAL in 2000, her distinguished professional career included service as Chief of the Bureau of Library and Information Services of the International Labour Office in Geneva, Switzerland and as a library staff member at the International Monetary Fund, the U.S. Department of the Interior and Syracuse University.

Frierson received her B.A. from Oberlin College and her Master's in Library Science from Syracuse University.