Director of Computing Services Ken Hirsh receives award named in his honor
At this year’s annual meeting, the Computing Services Special Interest Section (CS-SIS) of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) established a distinguished service award to recognize annually a CS-SIS member who has made outstanding contributions to the SIS and to AALL over years of highly-regarded service to the groups. The award has been named the “CS-SIS Kenneth J. Hirsh Distinguished Service Award” (or “the Ken,” for short) in honor of a longstanding and distinguished member of the section, Kenneth J. Hirsh, Director of Computing Services at Duke Law School. In its inaugural year, the Ken was awarded to its namesake in July.
"When Ken Hirsh came to Duke in 1989, the potential of information technology in higher education was only being guessed at,” said Richard A. Danner, Senior Associate Dean for Information Services and Archibald C. and Frances Fulk Rufty Research Professor of Law. “Since that time, Ken has not only piloted every technological advance and development at the law school, contributing significantly to our reputation for excellence in educational applications of technology, but he has been a recognized national leader among both law librarians and legal information technologists. This honor is well-deserved and entirely appropriate for Ken."
Among Ken’s many contributions to CS-SIS, he: chaired the SIS from 1998-99; established the CS-SIS breakfast meeting and conducted the inaugural event in 1999; chaired numerous CS-SIS committees; and coordinated/spoke at numerous CS-sponsored educational programs. In addition, he has been a contributor, participant and unofficial parliamentarian at every CS-SIS business meeting for as far back as anyone can remember; he writes a regular column, called “On the Front Lines,” for the CS-SIS newsletter Connecting . . .; he has been instrumental in revising the section’s bylaws as needed over the years; he has been a mentor, advisor and friend to many new and not so new section members; and this past year he developed and implemented for CS-SIS the first electronic ballot election in AALL’s history.