Ross Atkinson, 1945-2006
Dear Friends,
It is my sad duty to let you know that Ross Atkinson passed away
this morning. His wife Carole and son Andy were at his side.
At Ross’s request, there will be no memorial service. He told me
several weeks ago that he wanted to be here one day and gone the
next. Ross is an unforgettable individual, however, and we mourn
his loss deeply. Our collections will forever bear his mark, and
our scholars and students will be served for generations to come
as a result of his direction. Our hearts go out to Carole and
Andy in this dark hour.
Ross has been a major contributor to our profession. Most
recently the Cornell University Library organized the Janus
Conference, a look backward and forward at collection
development. http://www.library.cornell.edu/janusconference/
There is a streaming video of Ross’s presentation at
This conference was heavily influenced by Ross and the six
challenges he developed with his colleagues here have generated
much discussion. It was Ross’s goal that they would also result
in significant action: action to digitize our retrospective
collections, to make a rapid transition to electronic
information, to develop deeply coordinated and integrated
collections, to negotiate collectively with publishers for the
best and most cost-effective access to electronic publications,
to ensure the long-term archiving of digital materials, and to
support alternative modes of scholarly communication. The Chief
Collection Development Officers of Large Research Libraries
Discussion Group (ALA) has been moving these issues forward, and
the Council on Library and Information Resources has also
proposed to contribute to their advancement. Ross was insistent
to me that it was important to move from local solutions to
collective action. We plan to continue in that spirit.
The Association for Library Collections & Technical Services of
the American Library Association published, in late 2005, through
the impetus of Pamela Bluh and Peggy Johnson, Community,
Collaboration, and Collections: the Writings of Ross Atkinson.
Robert Alan and Bonnie MacEwan edited the collection of Ross’s
classic work.
If you wish to contact Carole Atkinson, her address is 3 Library
Street, Dryden, New York 13053.
In a note to me in January, thanking me for writing the
introduction to his collected works, Ross says that the “whole
ground for our perceptions of information services has been
shifting,” and that he is glad that others felt he had made a
contribution at such a critical time. He concludes: “What fun
it has been!”
It’s a privilege to have known someone who has made such a
difference in our profession.
Sarah
Sarah E. Thomas, Ph.D.
Carl A. Kroch University Librarian
201 Olin Library
Cornell University
http://www.library.cornell.edu/