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Pratt Severn Best Student Research Paper Award

Natalie Ornat, of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, is awarded the Pratt Severn Best Student Research Paper Award for her paper Reading for Your Life: The Impact of Reading and Writing During the Siege of Sarajevo. The purpose of this award is to encourage student research and writing in the field of information science. The content of each paper is appraised in terms of technical competence in information science, significance of information science findings, originality, and clarity of expression. The degree of compliance with “Instructions for Contributors,” found in the Journal of the Association for Information Science, regarding format, style, and organization is also judged.

The jury indicated that Ms. Ornat wrote a very well written paper on a powerful picture of reading in a time of upheaval. It covered new ground and, at the same time, makes a contribution to the existing theoretical field in reading theory. The author used an interesting mix of content analysis and interview to arrive at an original and important contribution to the field. The organization of the paper is very clear.

The Best Student Research Award was established in 1972 and, since 1996, it has been sponsored by Pratt Institute, School of Information and Library Science, on behalf of the late David Severn, a 1968 Pratt Alumnus.