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CHICAGO—Robert L. Maxwell has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Margaret Mann Citation, sponsored by OCLC and Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures. Maxwell is currently Special Collections and Ancient Studies Catalog Librarian at the Brigham Young University (BYU) Library.

The Margaret Mann Citation recognizes outstanding professional achievement in cataloging or classification for notable publications; outstanding contributions to professional cataloging associations; outstanding contribution to the technical improvement of cataloging and classification; and outstanding contributions in the area of teaching cataloging and classification. It includes a $2,000 scholarship donated in the recipient’s honor by OCLC, Inc. to the library school of the winner’s choice. Maxwell has chosen the to be the recipient of this year’s scholarship award.

After carefully considering this year’s accomplished pool of nominees, the selection committee chose Maxwell as the 2024 Citation recipient due to the tremendous impact he has had (and continues to have) on the field of cataloging and classification. The committee agreed unanimously that Maxwell’s extensive work with the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC), the RDA Steering Committee (RSC), and the ¾«¶«´«Ã½’s Subject Analysis Committee (SAC) and Committee on Cataloging: Description and Access (CC:DA), as well as his influential and award-winning publications, such as Maxwell’s Guide to Authority Work (2002) and Maxwell’s Handbook for RDA: Explaining and Illustrating Resource Description and Access (2013), merited his receipt of the Margaret Mann Citation. The Mann Citation Committee Chair, Karen Snow, said, “I and the Committee are delighted that Robert Maxwell is receiving this richly deserved honor for his authoritative and well-regarded publications, as well as his extensive service, mentorship, and teaching. It is even more delightful that in accepting the award, Robert joins many other cataloging luminaries, including his mother, Margaret F. Maxwell, who received the Margaret Mann Citation in 1991.”

When notified of his selection, Maxwell said, “I am truly honored to receive the Margaret Mann Citation. Cataloging and metadata could be said to be almost embedded in my DNA. My mother taught and wrote about cataloging, among other things, for many years at the University of Arizona Graduate Library School; and my wife and daughter are both catalogers (I’m still working on convincing other family members …). Anything I may have accomplished in the field could not have happened without their support and cooperation, but I have also benefited during my entire career from the generous support of my employer, the Brigham Young University Library, and from the collaborative world-wide community that I have been lucky enough to be a part of, cataloging and metadata. I passionately believe in the power of this community within the world of libraries and archives and look forward to the developments the future will bring. Thank you all."

Maxwell’s nomination letter noted that “In many ways, Maxwell has exceeded the extraordinary requirements and expectations for award recipients. Not only has Maxwell contributed highly impactful publications to the cataloging field over the past few decades, but he has also been an exemplary contributor to local, national, and international bodies developing cataloging standards and best practices. He is also a very generous mentor to other catalogers. He consistently provides training on cataloging practice and how to use RDA in many arenas, building competence and confidence in other catalogers. Maxwell’s contributions merit recognition of the tremendous amount of time and talent he has dedicated toward the continuous improvement of cataloging practice.”

His colleagues note that Maxwell has a legacy of writing books on fundamental cataloging topics which focus on helping catalogers from all levels of experience to understand and apply the standards. Many of his publications have become staple reference materials for cataloging departments, including Maxwell’s Guide to Authority Work (2002; winner of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½Highsmith Library Literature Award in 2003), FRBR: A Guide for the Perplexed (2008), and two editions of Maxwell’s Handbook for AACR2 (1997 and 2004; translated into Spanish, Czech, and Korean and republished in English in India). His most influential publication, however, is Maxwell’s Handbook for RDA: Explaining and Illustrating Resource Description and Access (2013; winner of the 2014 ¾«¶«´«Ã½ABC‐CLIO Award for the Best Book in Library Literature and the ALCTS 2015 Outstanding Publication Award). The first edition of this text has received exemplary reviews and is one of ¾«¶«´«Ã½Editions’ best‐selling works, having sold over 4,000 copies. These texts help catalogers to take on their complex duties following Maxwell’s guidance, learning the principles and their application, with ample examples to follow.

In addition, his colleagues state that having served the cataloging community extensively over the years, Maxwell was distinguished with appointment to the international RDA Steering Committee (RSC) in 2021 as the North American RDA Committee (NARDAC) representative. In this capacity, he helps formulate North American stances on the RDA cataloging standard and makes proposals to the RSC. This service demonstrates that Maxwell is committed to developing cataloging standards on an international level while representing libraries across North America. His earlier work on the RSC included membership on working groups dealing with the handling of fictitious entities and relationship designators.

Not only is Maxwell an incredibly knowledgeable and experienced cataloger, but he is committed to empowering other catalogers to gain the skills and confidence to utilize the standards that he has helped to develop. Maxwell provides regular training and workshops on RDA, NACO, BIBCO, SACO, and other cataloging topics for BYU Library staff and always invites catalogers from other universities and public libraries in the state to participate. He breaks complex cataloging challenges down into simple elements and explains concepts so that everyone can understand and apply the rules to various types of resources. For nearly twenty years, Maxwell has been a highly sought‐after trainer in the cataloging community holding workshops at library conferences and in libraries across the United States and even at the National Library of South Africa. His work in this area extends past his several terms on PCC’s Standing Committee on Training to his participation on several associated ¾«¶«´«Ã½and PCC task forces. He has nurtured a natural inclination to mentor fellow catalogers in all settings, including the enthusiastic daily assistance he provides for colleagues at BYU Library as well as thoughtful and encouraging guidance in response to questions posted on cataloging listservs and through the guidance he provides when serving as a reviewer of PCC participants’ work until they achieve independence.

Congratulations to Robert L. Maxwell, 2024 recipient of the Margaret Mann Citation!

Members of the 2024 are: Karen Snow (chair), Jaycee Chapman, John DeSantis, Tammy L. Druash, and Sylvia Hall-Ellis.

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