2001 SLA Fellow

Fred W. Roper

Fred W. Roper is the Dean of the College of Library and Information Science, a position he has held since 1986. A 28-year member of SLA, Fred is the epitome of commitment to the development of great minds in the information profession, specifically in health sciences librarianship.

Fred earned his doctoral degree at Indiana University, but received both his MLS and BA in English from the University of North Carolina. He taught for fifteen years there and ultimately became associate dean there before his appointment at South Carolina.

His service to the library association committee is quite impressive, having been devoted to both SLA and the Medical Library Association. He has served as president of MLA, and on its board of directors twice. He has chaired numerous task forces and received a variety of awards with MLA. In 1997, He was made a fellow of MLA, and in 1998 he received the Noyes Award, the highest professional distinction from that association.

His legacy at SLA includes his work in the Biomedical and Life Sciences Division, where he has served as chair and led numerous efforts to make that division what it is today. Fred has also been very active in the implementation of so many strategic initiatives impacting all of SLA, including his service on the Board of Directors; as chair of the 75th Anniversary Conference Planning Committee; and service on the Research Committee and the Committee on Committees. He was made a fellow of SLA in 1989, and ten years later, received the John Cotton Dana Award, SLA's highest honor, recognizing excellence in special librarianship.

Fred's activities also include service on many committees with the American Library Association and the Association for Library and Information Science Education.

Fred has contributed many scholarly publications to the profession, including his co-authorship of Introduction to Reference Sources in the Health Sciences, the standard text on medical library information resources.

Fred, congratulations on a career dedicated to your profession and your many accomplishments, all of which make you a symbol of excellence for information professionals today and for generations to come.

Rev. July 2007