ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES

            Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program

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                            September 15, 1999
                             GP 3.16/3-2:20/14
                             (Vol. 20, no. 14)

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             Virginia Saunders Earns Library Association Award

   Virginia F. Saunders, Congressional Documents Specialist, U.S.
   Government Printing Office (GPO), has been presented the James
   Bennett Childs Award by the Government Documents Round Table of the
   American Library Association (ALA). The prestigious honor, given to
   a person who has made a lifetime and significant contribution to the
   field of government documents librarianship, was awarded to Saunders
   at the ALA annual convention held recently in New Orleans. She was
   chosen for her compilation and publication of the U.S. Congressional
   Serial Set, which collects the background materials for the
   activities of the United States Congress into a permanent record.

   Saunders began her GPO career in 1946. For the last 30 years she has
   been the one individual primarily responsible for the Serial Set, a
   publication of fundamental value to library collections. Throughout
   her career, she has worked to maintain and improve the Serial Set
   and has generously shared her knowledge with documents librarians
   nationwide. Saunders has spoken at many workshops for depository
   library staff. In 1998, she gave an overview of the history of the
   Serial Set at the 7th Annual Federal Depository Library Conference.
   In addition, she has served as a panelist at the American Library
   Association's annual conference.

   In 1979, Saunders began her tenure on the Serial Set Advisory
   Committee, established by the Joint Committee on Printing. In 1989,
   her suggestion that 30 volumes of duplicative House and Senate
   reports on the Iran Contra investigation be assigned Serial Numbers
   as required but not be bound saved the Government $600,000 and
   earned her additional recognition.

   Her nomination for the Childs award summarized, "Ms. Saunders has
   not only meticulously maintained a set of documents of vital
   importance to the Nation but has worked with information
   professionals and Government officials to improve it, to lower
   costs, and to enhance its accessibility to librarians, researchers,
   and the public."

   The award is named for James Bennett Childs, a long time documents
   bibliographer at the Library of Congress and first recipient of the
   honor in 1976. Other recipients of the award include GPO's
   Superintendent of Documents Francis J. Buckley, Jr., in 1986, and
   former Joint Committee on Printing staff member Bernadine A.
   Hoduski, in 1977.

   Remarks by U.S. Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD) in appreciation of
   Virginia Saunders' achievements appear in the U.S. Congressional
   Record for Sept. 8, 1999, p. H7962.