Tony Stankus, Holy Cross Science Librarian and Alumnus, Receives Prestigious National Award

WORCESTER, Mass. – Tony Stankus ’73, a science librarian at the College of the Holy Cross since 1974, will receive the 2005 Rose Vormelker National Award at the Special Libraries Association 2005 Annual Conference in Toronto on June 5.

The award is "given to an individual member in recognition of exceptional services to the profession of special librarianship in the area of mentoring students and practicing professionals in the field," according to the SLA Web site.

Stankus, who is a member of the Special Libraries Association, is one of the world’s most published authors on research and professional journals in the sciences. He has published 10 books and more than 100 articles in journals of research and practice, including The Journals of the Century (Haworth Press, 2002), in which Stankus, as editor, led 32 subject expert librarians to determine the most influential journals in their respective fields.

He has been an adjunct professor of Special & Scientific Librarianship at the University of Rhode Island, where he received a Master of Library and Information Science degree in 1975, for 22 years.

"Mr. Stankus was selected for his commitment to students, not only through his work at Holy Cross, but also his devotion to teaching at the University of Rhode Island," said John Crosby, chief marketing & communications strategist for SLA.

For more than 30 years, Stankus has worked tirelessly to see his students succeed.

"On hearing I got this award via a direct phone call from the national president, I was both surprised and yet, if possible, much more satisfied than ever," he said. "I have always looked at my students as a kind of great treasure with which I am entrusted for a short time, and that I would have to answer at my particular judgment before God, if I did not do everything I could to bolster them in whatever assignment or future career I could."

Stankus’ passion for education has been an ever-present motivation. He grew up in foster homes on welfare for his first 16 years. He arrived at Holy Cross with cardboard boxes tied with rope for luggage. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Russian.

"Holy Cross supplies me with a seemingly endless supply of very promising students, brilliant faculty, and highly capable librarian colleagues," Stankus said. "Keeping up with science never leaves you finished or bored. Every new faculty hire and every new course, and even the arrival of the weekly New England Journal of Medicine or Proceedings of the National Academy of Science means I have to learn new material very fast, so as to be able to help my students and faculty. And that’s not even mentioning the increasingly webby world in which libraries today operate."

Professionals in the field praise Stankus’ strong work ethic and continued expertise in the field of science librarianship.

"As a mentor and friend to students and colleagues alike, Tony has influenced the careers of scores of librarians over the years," said Alex Caracuzzo, president of the Rhode Island Chapter of the Special Libraries Association. "Tony continues to be an influential force in the field of librarianship as an adjunct faculty member of the University of Rhode Island, as Science Librarian at Holy Cross, and as a prolific author."

Stankus is also a volunteer cook and fifth grade Sunday School teacher at the First Church in Sterling, Mass. He is an enthusiastic Holy Cross football fan and long-time season ticket holder.

Since 1948, SLA has recognized those individuals who have distinguished themselves in the information profession through its Awards and Honors Program. Award winners are determined by select committees and approved by SLA’s Board of Directors. Each award winner receives "The Dana," the official award manifestation of Special Libraries Association. The SLA Awards and Honors Program is administered by the Public Relations Office of SLA.