California Library Association 

Technical Services Award of Merit

Sponsored by Baker & Taylor

The CLA Technical Services Award of Merit acknowledges superior achievement by an individual in those areas of the library profession that encompass technical services.

All members of the library community are invited to take this opportunity to recognize deserving technical services colleagues who have made significant contributions in those areas of librarianship that have been especially challenged by the need for innovation and adaptation in dealing with rapidly changing technology and work environments. The CLA Technical Services Award of Merit recipient is honored at the CLA annual conference.

A maximum of one award is given each year. CLA’s Technical Services Award of Merit is presented with $500 (to help cover conference registration) and is honored at the CLA Annual Conference.

The CLA Technical Services Award of Merit is sponsored by Baker & Taylor.

2025 Award Winner

Mary Kocman, Palos Verdes Library District

Mary Kocman has been with the Palos Verdes Library District since 2000 and Technical Services Dept. Head since 2001. Mary's area of expertise is cataloging since her early days in a paraprofessional position in cataloging at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO. Mary has worked on a number of projects for the Palos Verdes Library over the years, including 2 ILS migrations.

Mary is also a licensed marriage family therapist and continues to do part time work with clients while still hanging out at the PV library. Mary's interests include taking care of her rabbits (all rescues), traveling (most recently in central and Eastern Europe), and enjoying her husband's cooking across all ethnicities.

Nomination period
The 2025 award nomination period is closed.

Eligibility

• Persons nominated for the award are required to be CLA members.  If unsure, please contact the CLA Office for assistance no later than two weeks prior to the deadline.

• Nominees must have worked for a portion of the past year in a California library.

• Nominators are not required to be CLA members. However, if a nomination is made by a non-member, the nomination must be endorsed by a CLA member. If you need assistance in finding a CLA member to endorse your nomination, please contact the CLA office no later than two weeks prior to the deadline.

How to nominate
Nominators should submit a statement (of no more than 350 words) identifying the nominee's achievement(s) and briefly describing the impact of the achievement(s) on those areas of the library profession that encompass technical services. Criteria for selection are outstanding achievement in one or more of the following areas:

• leadership in professional associations at the local, state, regional, national, or international level;

• significant contributions to the development, application, or utilization of new or improved methods, techniques, and routines demonstrating creativity and innovation;

• significant contributions to the professional literature; and

• significant studies or research.

Further information

• The CLA Technical Services Award is coordinated by CLA's Technical Services Interest Group.

• TSIG may consider only those individuals who have been formally nominated for the award.

• TSIG reserves the right not to give an award if a qualified candidate is not found.

• Award recipients will be asked to submit a photograph to be used in award publicity.

• Nominations and all supplementary materials must be received by 5:00pm on the submission deadline.

If you have questions about the award, please contact TSIG Chairs, Mary Kocman (mkocman@pvld.org) or Joshua Hutchinson (joshuah8@usc.edu)

CLA Technical Services Award of Achievement Committee

• Julie Renee Moore, CSU Fresno

• Luiz Mendes, CSU Northridge

• Paromita Biswas, UCLA