Dr. Pamela Thomas Selected as 2025 Recipient of the Illinois Library Association TBS, Inc. Technical Services Award
July 31, 2025
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Kristin Pekoll, RTSF Staff Liaison
kpekoll@ila.org
The Illinois Library Association is proud to announce that Dr. Pamela Thomas, Bibliographic Grant Manager at the Illinois Heartland Library System (IHLS), is the recipient of the 2025 Illinois Library Association TBS, Inc. Technical Services Award. This annual award, presented by the ILA Resources and Technical Services Forum and sponsored by Today’s Business Solutions, Inc. (TBS), is awarded to an individual who has made a substantial contribution in the area of library technical services, principally with a commitment to leadership, programming, and professional development in the technical services field.
Dr. Thomas coordinates the Cataloging Maintenance Center (CMC), which provides cataloging support for members of Illinois library systems and consortia. The CMC’s work includes cataloging of special collections, local history, genealogy, and Illinois authors—specialized and unique items that may not otherwise be accessible to researchers. In addition to coordinating the many projects that the CMC undertakes each year, Dr. Thomas has been a driving force behind the CMC’s cataloging training, which includes everything from basic cataloging workshops to seminars on complex cataloging topics such as realia and serials.
One major initiative for the CMC is a cleanup project for the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI) database. Dr. Thomas coordinated this project, including hiring staff, training on CARLI’s Alma system, and working closely with CARLI staff to keep the project running efficiently. To date, over three million bibliographic records have been deleted, edited, or merged for CARLI members throughout Illinois, improving search functionality.
Dr. Thomas is also committed to training and mentoring novice catalogers. She coordinates an internship program for catalogers, hosting an intern at the IHLS’ office each semester. She was also involved in the development of iCAMP, the Illinois Cataloging Mentorship Program, and has served as an iCAMP mentor since its inception in 2024.
A colleague remarked, “her knowledge in the field of cataloging, her leadership and vision for the CMC, and her generosity in sharing her expertise cannot be overstated…the impact of her work will benefit both the library community and researchers for generations.”
The Illinois Library Association TBS, Inc. Technical Services Award will be presented at an awards ceremony during the 2025 Illinois Library Association Annual Conference. The conference will take place October 14-16, 2025 in Rosemont, Illinois.
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