VANCOUVER October 27, 2016 —The Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries (COPPUL) recognized Bronwen Sprout of the University of British Columbia Library with its 2016 Outstanding Contribution Award. This award, which may be given annually to an individual or team working in a member library, recognizes exemplary contributions to the consortium. These contributions should enhance service in multiple COPPUL libraries and have an impact throughout the region. Ms. Sprout was awarded for her contributions in the area of digital preservation, in particular for her leadership role in the development of Archivematica-as-a-service. Archivematica now serves as COPPUL’s shared digital preservation platform, offering scaled and supported access to high quality digital preservation services. Ms. Sprout has served as co-chair of the Digital Preservation Working Group since 2012 and also sits on the Digital Preservation Network (DPN) Management Committee. It is a testament to the impact of Ms. Sprout’s contributions that she was in fact nominated for this award twice, by separate groups. Both nominations spoke of her vision, collaborative approach and many accomplishments that directly benefit the members of COPPUL.
DPN Manager Corey Davis said, “Providing access to critical digital assets over time presents a complex set of challenges to libraries of all sizes, and Ms. Sprout’s vision and efforts to develop and deploy a real-world solution continues to make a real impact on COPPUL members’ ability to undertake effective digital preservation on their campuses.”
Board Chair Mary-Jo Romaniuk stated, “Ms. Sprout’s leadership and commitment have been instrumental in moving COPPUL’s digital preservation agenda forward, positioning COPPUL for future collaborative initiatives in this important area.”