Media Contact:
Nancy Vaupel, NCSU Libraries, 919/515-2843

Nov. 4, 2003

Bowman Receives 2003 NCSU Libraries Faculty Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dr. Karl F. Bowman

Dr. Karl F. Bowman, associate professor of equine surgery in the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University, is the recipient of the 2003 NCSU Libraries Faculty Award. The award is presented annually to an NC State faculty member in recognition of outstanding contributions that support the Libraries’ mission and its role within the university. The NCSU Libraries will present its 15th annual Faculty Award to Bowman at the Friends of the Library Fall Luncheon on Wednesday, Nov. 12.

Bowman’s work on the University Library Committee (ULC) for six years, which included serving as chair for four years, proved highly instrumental in furthering the Libraries' mission. While chair from July 1999 to June 2003, he established two ULC ad hoc committees – the Committee on Library Fundraising and Nexus Committee on Library Space Planning – and served as chair of each. These committees addressed critical issues facing the NCSU Libraries.

Under his direction, the Committee on Library Fundraising together with the ULC initiated a Faculty and Staff Campaign for the NCSU Libraries in fiscal year 2000–01 and continued the appeal in 2002–03. The campaign generated 55 new Friends of the Library memberships and brought the Libraries nearly $50,000 in donations.

After a 1999 report for the University of North Carolina system indicated that the NCSU Libraries needed 43 percent more space for its users and operations to meet UNC system wide library standards, Bowman established the Nexus Committee on Library Space Planning. As the space problem continued to worsen, with the Libraries becoming more than 50 percent over capacity, the committee assessed the relative merits of renovation versus new construction. It approved the Libraries’ master-planning process for facilities after obtaining significant input from faculty, staff, students and administrators concerning their vision for a library of the future. Once the Libraries’ “Master Plan” document was completed in spring 2003, the ULC gave the plan its full support.

The ULC Scholarly Communication Subcommittee also received invaluable support from Bowman when he helped to publicize the Tempe Principles (Principles for Emerging Systems of Scholarly Publishing). Bowman was well positioned to understand that the Libraries’ budget could not keep pace with double-digit inflation and steep price increases. At a 2001 meeting of the Faculty Senate, he presented an analysis of the effect of expensive and over priced subscriptions on the Libraries’ budget and on teaching and research at NC State. The Faculty Senate then supported dissemination of this information to all NC State faculty members.

The NCSU Libraries is the gateway to knowledge for the NC State community and partners. In all, the Libraries has a collection of more than 3.1 million volumes, nearly 53,000 print and electronic serials, and hundreds of databases, with emphasis on science, engineering, and technology. For more information, visit www.lib.ncsu.edu.

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