Australian health librarian picks up SLA award

Stephen Due, chief librarian at Geelong Hospital/Barwon Health Service, has been named the 2007 Information Professional of the Year by the SLA Australia/-New Zealand Chapter.

The annual award, sponsored by Thomson Scientific, is given to an information professional who has displayed great achievement in the information industry. Due will also receive a cash prize of AUD$2,000.

'We are pleased to announce Stephen as the 2007 Information Professional of the Year, as he has gone above and beyond to share his expertise and knowledge with his colleagues and peers,' said Marie McKenzie, past president of the SLA Australia and New Zealand Chapter. 'He has been extremely proactive in advancing the professional status of health librarianship within his organisation and through his involvement with industry associations.'

Due has been chief librarian at Geelong Hospital for more than 20 years. He is a co-sponsor of the national Health Libraries Benchmarking Group, and he has written extensively on professional issues in many journals. Since 2004, he has chaired the Victorian Health Libraries Consortium, which he formed in 2003.