Karl Lo Award

The Karl Lo Award was established in 2007 by the Pacific Rim Digital Library Alliance to honor Karl Lo’s leadership in forming the Pacific Rim Digital Library Alliance and his contributions to global libraries and librarianship.

Karl Lo

About Karl Lo

In 1995, Lo obtained a grant to the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Libraries from the U.S. National Security Education Program. The NSEP grant funded development of a multilingual computer server to provide international access via the Internet to online information in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean scripts. As part of the project, Lo organized a technical planning conference hosted by UCSD during which the Pacific Rim Digital Library Alliance was conceptualized.

Lo held key leadership roles in the East Asian library community:

  • Head, East Asia Library, University of Kansas, 1959-1968
  • Head, East Asia Library, University of Washington, 1968-1990
  • Director, UCSD International Relations and Pacific Studies Library and East Asia Collection, 1990-2002
  • Acting Chief, Asian Division, Library of Congress, 2002

 

He was active and honored in many professional venues:

  • Chair, OCLC-CJK Users Group
  • Vice President, Chinese Historical Society, Seattle, WA
  • Board Member, San Diego Chinese Historical Society
  • Trustee, Lingnan Foundation, 1994-2007
  • Chinese American Librarians Association/American Librarians Association Distinguished Service Award, 1998

Criteria and Application

Objective

The award scheme aims to enhance the discoverability and visibility of collections held by Pacific Rim libraries, aligning with PRRLA’s strategic imperatives of improving global access to digital resources and strengthening professional expertise within member libraries.

PRRLA Strategic focus areas

  • Increase the breadth of distinctive digital collections from member libraries in the PRL (Pacific Rim Library)
  • Increase visibility and discoverability of members collections through PRL (Pacific Rim Library)
  • Increase connectivity among members via both formal and informal mechanisms developing global networks to share and grow professional expertise through diverse programs

Eligibility

Applicants must be employed in a PRRLA member library.

Award Usage

Funds can be utilised for initiatives aligned with PRRLA’s strategic focus areas above such as, but not limited to:

  • Digitisation projects to improve global access to collections in PRL.
  • Metadata enhancement and standardisation to raise visibility in the Pacific Rim Library (PRL) repository project.
  • Development of online exhibitions or virtual tours
  • Outreach initiatives targeting diverse audiences, supporting discoverability and user engagement.
  • Professional development programs (training programs, conferences or courses) for staff, focusing on digital initiatives and emerging technologies.

Application Process

  • Proposals should align with PRRLA’s strategic priorities, emphasizing scalability and sustainability.
  • Applicants must demonstrate how their projects or professional development activities contribute to PRRLA’s growth and value to members.
  • Applications should include the following:
  • A brief narrative description (200 to 500 words) outlining the proposed professional development or initiative , focusing on its relevance to Pacific Rim Research libraries, potential impact, originality, scope, and feasibility.
  • A simple budget justifying the requested funding amount.

  • A letter of support from the Director of the applicant’s library.
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Award Amount

  • Total funding available will be determined based on PRRLA’s strategic priorities and budget with a maximum per project of $7,500 USD will be awarded.
  • Costs of attendance at the Annual Meeting to share outcomes of the award will be met by PPRLA  to the maximum value of $1,500USD so do not need to form part of the award application

Post Award Reporting and Responsibilities

  • Recipients are required to submit reports on funded initiatives and professional development.
  • Funding is conditional on sharing learning and outcomes at the Annual Meeting (via in person presentation, poster, video or written report).  Award recipients are encouraged to share insights and best practices with the PRRLA community through presentations or publications more broadly.
  • Recipients may be invited to serve as mentors or advisors for future award candidates.
  • Evaluation criteria for awarding will include alignment with PRRLA’s strategic imperatives, demonstrated value to the global scholarly community, collaboration across member libraries.

Past Awardees

2024

Mitsutaka Nakamura, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Yeo Pin Pin, Singapore Management University
Hou Xi, Fudan University

Kevin McDowell, The University of Oregon
Win Shih, The University of Southern California

Kimberley Williams, The University of Sydney
Hong Cheng, The University of California Los Angeles
Fei Xue, Zhejiang University

Rina Su, Sun Yat-sen University Library
Jonathan Young, The University of Hawaii at Manoa Library

Win Shih, The University of Southern California
Chen Juan, Xiamen University

Li Yanlin, Fudan University
Aaron Tay, Singapore Management University
Ying Zhang, University of California, Irvine
Tokiko Y. Bazzell, University of Hawaii at Manoa Library
Liu Xiaoju, University of Melbourne

Dayoung Kim, Korea University
Haiqing Lin, University of California, Berkeley
Chingmy Lam and Michelle Jo, University Sydney
Ying Liu, University of Victoria

Feng Yikang, National University of Singapore
Jing Liu, University of British Columbia
Tomoko Bialock, University of California, Los Angeles

Xi Chen, University of California, San Diego

Sim Chuin Peng, National University of Singapore
Corey Davis, University of Victoria, Canada
Robert Stibravy, University of British Columbia
Thuy Vo Dang, University of California Irvine

Louisa Lam, Chinese University of Hong Kong Library

Beth Tillinghast, University of Hawaii at Manoa Library

Paolina Martin, Singapore Management University
Patrick Pu, National University of Singapore

Robin Chandler, UC San Diego Libraries

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