Award Winners

The Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, published by Charles Scribner's Sons, was awarded the 2004 Dartmouth Medal, the most prestigious award in the reference publishing industry.

Established in 1974, the Dartmouth Medal, donated by Dartmouth College and presented by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), honors the creation of an outstanding and high-quality reference resource important to school media centers and the pursuit of a well-balanced curriculum.

According to Lara Ursin, Dartmouth Medal committee chair, the Encyclopedia of Food and Culture is "packed with photographs and illustrations, charts, maps, color inserts and interesting facts - an outstanding resource in a class of its own."

Selecting the titles to receive the Dartmouth Medal is an arduous process. Committee members meet during the ALA Midwinter conference for several hour blocks over three days to discuss, compare and debate the titles that have been nominated and are being considered for the Dartmouth Medal.

Because only one title is awarded the Dartmouth Medal, this ALA honor is considered the ultimate in the reference-publishing world. The award will be presented to Thomson Gale during the 2004 ALA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, June 24 - 30, 2004.

Also at Midwinter, the ALA RUSA committee selects the list of Outstanding Reference Sources published throughout the year. Established in 1958, this committee recommends the best reference publications for small and medium-sized libraries. Here are five Thomson Gale titles that would make a welcome addition to any school library that were named ALA Outstanding Reference Sources:

• The Beat Generation: A Gale Critical Companion (Thomson Gale)
• The Encyclopedia of Education, Second Edition (Macmillan Reference USA)
• Encyclopedia of Food and Culture (Charles Scribner's Sons)
• Encyclopedia of Russian History (Macmillan Reference USA)
• Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia (Thomson Gale)

Commencing with the Dartmouth Medal, 2003 brought Thomson Gale several other awards, including:

Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin Editor's Choice Reference Titles for 2003

• Encyclopedia of Food and Culture (Charles Scribner's Sons)
• Encyclopedia of Modern Asia (Charles Scribner's Sons)
• A History of the Third Reich (Greenhaven)

CHOICE Outstanding Academic Books for 2003

• American Men & Women of Science (Thomson Gale)
• Environmental Encyclopedia (Thomson Gale)
• Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia (Thomson Gale)
• New Catholic Encyclopedia (Thomson Gale)
• Encyclopedia of Modern Asia (Charles Scribner's Sons)
• Encyclopedia of Food and Culture (Charles Scribner's Sons)
• Dictionary of American History (Charles Scribner's Sons)
• Encyclopedia of Science and Religion (Macmillan Reference USA)
• Reference Guide to World Literature (St. James Press)

Whether your school's media center is looking to add to its history, science, culture, math or literature references, Thomson Gale offers these award-winning titles and hundreds of other respected titles covering all areas of your school's curriculum and more.