Ray Pun, Academic and Research Librarian at Alder Graduate School of Education, and David Faucheux, Independent Reviewer and Self-Published Author, named winners of the 2025 CODES Louis Shores Award
“I am honored to be this year’s CODES Louis Shores Award recipient. I am thankful to the Louis Shores Committee for their service. As a book reviewer for over a decade, I sincerely appreciate the community of book/media reviewers for their tireless work in supporting libraries in building collections for their community of library patrons.” – Ray Pun
“The Louis Shores Award Committee is excited to announce Ray Pun as a Louis Shores Award winner for crafting 100+ print and digital content reviews in a decade with thoughtfulness and a critical eye to help library staff and RUSA members select the best investments for their libraries.” – Award Committee Statement
Ray Pun has thoughtfully and critically crafted 100+ print and digital content reviews in the past decade while also encouraging other colleagues to participate. Ray tackles all subjects in nonfiction and contributes to Booklist, Library Journal, the Society of American Archivists, and the Chinese American Librarians Association, among others. His to-the-point reviews are helpful to both librarians and scholars alike. Ray’s attention to detail, ability to selflessly mentor other people in the book world, and his productivity are all values that RUSA will appreciate.
“I was very surprised to learn that I was a recipient of the Louis Shores Award. I related to his idea that librarians should assist with one’s personal drive and efforts at independent study and that children should be introduced to books early. I especially related to his promotion of audio resources as it is through my reviewing of audiobooks for Library Journal that I became a nominee for the Louis Shores Award though my familiarity with audiobooks goes back much further than 2006 when I first reviewed for Library Journal. Several decades earlier, I began receiving recorded books on phonograph records, four-track cassettes, and now recordings as digital downloads –provided by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. It was my interactions with several reader advisors that helped encourage me to pursue a library science degree.” – David Faucheux
“The Louis Shores Award Committee is delighted to have selected David Faucheux as a Louis Shores Award winner for crafting 129+ insightful audiobook reviews. David’s unique contribution of reviewing audiobooks is passionate, detailed, covers a range of genres, and focuses uniquely on voice or narration of the book.” – Award Committee Statement
David Faucheux’s body of 129+ audiobook reviews in all genres and nonfiction is impressive not only because of such productivity but also because of his particular attention to voice and narration. He wrote a book (Across Two Novembers: a Year in the Life of a Blind Bibliophile) and is working on others, was named 2018 Library Journal Reviewer of the Year (Audio), is on the board of LA-AIRS, and advocates for other readers. It is David’s enthusiasm, productivity, and advocacy that make David an asset to RUSA.
The CODES Louis Shores Award selection committee was Chaired by Erin Wen