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2003 Waldo Gifford Leland Award
The Philip S. Hench Walter Reed Yellow Fever Collection Digitization Project Web Site, a project of the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library of the University of Virginia, has been awarded the 2003 Waldo Gifford Leland Award from the Society of American Archivists in recognition of its innovative use of digital technology to enhance the historical record. The award was presented to Joan Echtenkamp Klein, project leader, at the Society's annual meeting in Los Angeles in August 2003.
The Leland Award Committee noted the web site's beautifully written text documenting the story of Walter Reed and his colleagues' efforts to eradicate yellow fever in Cuba in the early 1900s. The site contains over 5,000 documents, many of these are personal letters from Reed and others that have been scanned so that actual digital copies are available as well as transcribed copies. The Award Committee was particularly complimentary of the site's navigational ease, the multiple search options available, and the use of metadata to enhance subject searching.
The project team, comprised of individuals with expertise in history, archives, digital technology, and metadata, worked over two years on the project and additional enhancements continue. Major support and expertise was provided by the University's Electronic Text Center, a national leader in scholarly digital technology. The Institute of Museum and Library Services provided funding for the project.
The Society of American Archivists is the oldest and largest national archival professional association in North America. The SAA's mission is to ensure the identification, preservation and use of records for historical value. The Waldo Gifford Leland Award has been given since 1959 to recognize writing of superior excellence and usefulness in the field of archival history, theory, or practice.