DeeDee Baldwin, Assistant Professor, History Research Librarian Mississippi State University Libraries, was selected as the 2021 recipient of the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) History Section’s Genealogy/History Achievement Award, sponsored by ProQuest for her creation, research, and management of Against All Odds: The First Black Legislators in Mississippi, as well as her service to the library and archival communities, the American Library Association (ALA), Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), and RUSA’s History Section (HS). The award consists of a citation and a monetary award to a librarian, library or publisher, in recognition of professional achievement in historical or genealogical reference, service, or research librarianship.
DeeDee’s service to ALA, RUSA and RUSA-HS include: Chair of RUSA-HS Membership and Communication Committee since June 2018 which includes managing HS’s social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter • Member of RUSA HS Genealogy & Local History Discussion Group • Member of RUSA-HS Programming Committee.
Previous Work Experience • Assistant Professor, History Research Librarian at Mississippi State University Libraries (2017-present) • Senior Library Associate in Manuscripts at Mississippi State University Libraries (2008-2017) • Digital Projects Specialist (one-year grant position) at Mississippi State University Libraries (2007-2008)
Service to Allied Organizations • Board member (2017), vice president (2018-2019), president (2019-2020), and past president (current) of Society of Mississippi Archivists. Planned virtual annual meeting in April 2020. Managing website, Facebook, and Twitter for SMA. • Mississippi representative to SAA Regional Archival Associations Consortium (2019-2020).
Publication Credits • Baldwin, D. (TBA). Academic and public libraries: Virtual programming partnerships. In K. Hughes & J. Santoro (Eds.), The 24/7 Library (pp. TBA). American Library Association. • Baldwin, D. (2019). Biographical sketch of Ethel Clagett. Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists, 1890–1920. https:// documents.alexanderstreet.com/d/1010113646 • Kennedy, C., McGillan, J., & Baldwin, D. (2018). Using family connections to create community connections: How a genealogy fair can benefit the community and the library. Mississippi Libraries, 81(4), 85-88. http:// www.misslib.org/resources/Documents/MLarchive/ML2018Winter.pdf • Book reviews for Choice Reviews
Established in 1992, the HS Genealogy / History Achievement Award, sponsored by ProQuest, presents a citation and $1,500 to a librarian, library or publisher, in recognition of professional achievement in historical or genealogical reference, service, or research librarianship. The recipient shall be selected for exceptional accomplishment in one or more of the following areas: leadership; service; training; reference; or publication of recent, significant print or digital reference works/projects that offer access to genealogical or historical sources. Preference shall be given to members of RUSA.
The selection committee was co-Chaired by Helen E. Gbala and Kristina S. Lang.
