Paul Thiele, founder and former director of the Crane Resource Centre and his late wife Judith, co-founder and reference librarian until her death in 1993, have received the Abdu'l Ala al Ma'arri Award presented by the National Library Service (NLS) for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

NLS director Frank Curt Cylke congratulated Thiele on "more than three decades of high quality, dedicated effort devoted to the educational needs of blind individuals."

The award recognizes outstanding library and information services to the blind and visually impaired community. The Thieles are the second recipients of the award.

Harvie will focus on parking issues with overall responsibility for security functions. Tom McNeice assumes the role of director of Campus Security and will report to Harvie.

Building customer service and making parking more available to the campus community are goals of the new position, Harvie says.

Harvie will combine the new position with her role as director of UBC Bookstore, a position she has held since 1990.

Peterson was honoured for his work, The Power of Words: Literacy and Revolution in South China, 1949-1995.

The award aims to support and encourage the work of junior faculty members by contributing $50,000 toward publication of their first book. The works are published by UBC Press.

Taylor was recognized for his research focusing on fish evolutionary biology and molecular ecology. He is one of the world's foremost authorities in the field.

UBC doctoral student Lance Barrett-Lennard also received a special award in memory of Finna, the killer whale who died last year. Barrett-Lennard received the award for his "significant achievements studying the genetic relationships in populations of B.C. wild killer whales."