CDL’s Adrian Turner wins Archival Award of Excellence

CDL is delighted to announce that Adrian Turner has won the prestigious Archival Award of Excellence from the California Historical Records Advisory Board. Adrian received the award in recognition of his exceptional dedication to and leadership in removing barriers to online access to California’s archival collections.

Many of the state’s archives, libraries, and museums still face formidable challenges in processing, describing, and digitizing their collections. Since 2002, through his work on the Online Archive of California (OAC), Calisphere and related initiatives, Adrian has worked relentlessly to reduce these challenges. He has envisioned and championed the development of tools and services—such as his brainchild, RecordEXPRESS—that have made it easier for institutions to provide access to their collections. And he has played a central role in a dizzying array of projects at the state and national levels, all with the aim of aggregating and connecting more content. His efforts have had a transformative effect on the archival community within California and well beyond.

But ask any California archivist about Adrian, and what you are most likely to hear is a personal account of his unflagging enthusiasm in helping them advance their digital agenda. Adrian truly goes above and beyond in his day-to-day support of the OAC’s hundreds of contributors, dropping everything to help troubleshoot a technical issue or strategize on a grant project.

Adrian has made it his personal mission to help collecting institutions of all shapes and sizes in California share their treasures with the world. In recent years, he has–quietly and with characteristic humility–made tremendous strides in accomplishing that mission. CDL is pleased that the California Historical Records Advisory Board has recognized his important work.

Congratulations, Adrian!