CLIR Distinguished Service Award

2010 Recipient

Edward Kasinec

The ASEEES Committee on Libraries and Information Resources Distinguished Service Award, which was established in 2010, honors ASEEES member librarians, archivists, or curators whose contributions to the field of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies librarianship have been especially noteworthy or influential. The effect of these contributions may be the result of continuous or distinguished service to the profession, but may also be the result of extraordinarily active, innovative, or collaborative work that deserves national recognition.

The Committee on Library and Information Resources of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES CLIR) has conferred the first Distinguished Librarian Award to two of our field’s leading lights: Miranda Remnek and Edward Kasinec. This new prize was established in 2010 to recognize outstanding leadership in the field of Slavic, East European and Eurasian librarianship and to show formal appreciation for a recipient’s sustained impact in promoting and strengthening the profession. Both winners amply meet these criteria.

Co-Honoree: Edward Kasinec

Edward Kasinec (MA, MPhil, MLS) has been nothing less than a force of nature in the field of Slavic and East European librarianship. His whirlwind career began at Harvard, where, as Reference Librarian/Archivist for the Harvard University Library and the Ukrainian Research Institute Library, he laid the foundations for that institution’s remarkable Ukrainian holdings. As Librarian for Slavic Collections at the University of California-Berkeley, he spearheaded efforts to document the collections on campus and in the Bay Area and West Coast more broadly. He then moved on to The New York Public Library where, for a quarter century, as Curator of the Slavic and Baltic Division, he enhanced the collection and documented its rare and unique holdings. He has published more than two hundred refereed articles and books, on a wide range of topics, and has lectured on issues of bibliography and librarianship throughout the world. He has also organized numerous symposia, conferences, and exhibits, and currently serves on a number of editorial and advisory committees in area studies disciplines. Even in “retirement,” his passion for Slavic and East European collections is unflagging. During the course of his long and distinguished career, Edward has kindled interest in many topics, and in many hearts, and he continues to inspire colleagues on both sides of the Atlantic.

Co-Winner: Miranda Remnek