Rosemary Pleva Flynn, the principal librarian and archivist at the Energy & Environmental Research Center on the campus of the University of North Dakota, won the Exemplary Service Award from the Society of American Archivists Council. She was honored for her work chairing a working group compiling and launching the Dictionary of Archives Terminology. She and her team of researchers worked for more than six years to add hundreds of new terms and thousands of citations from more than 600 sources.
The award was created by the Society of American Archivists Council in 1980 to recognize a special contribution to the archives profession that is not eligible for one of the other awards given by the Society. It is given on an occasional basis at the discretion of the Council.
“Constructing a dictionary is a lot of work and a labor of love, especially since we are all volunteers,” Flynn said. “It would not have come together without a lot of teamwork. I have immensely enjoyed working with my colleagues around the country who have been members of the working group or who have offered feedback on our work and suggestions for new terms. And, since dictionaries are never finished, I’ve signed up for another four-year term. It really is that much fun!”
Flynn holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in social sciences from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. She earned a master of library and information science degree from Indiana University