Travers Smith's Deputy Head of Research, Catherine Bowl, had plenty to celebrate after being awarded the prestigious Wildy British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL) Law Librarian of the Year Award on 9 June.
Amongst a crowd of over 200 BIALL members, John Sinkins, Managing Director of Wildy & Sons Ltd, presented Catherine with her award to recognise her outstanding work in organising the BIALL Annual Conference.
Catherine, who currently chairs the BIALL Conference Committee, has been working with the committee and conference organisers to seamlessly organise the BIALL Annual Conference and Exhibition. The flagship event is held over three days and is attended by over 200 BIALL members, and 30 publishers and suppliers.
As part of her role, Catherine is also responsible for planning future conferences and is already working on next year's conference in Manchester.
Speaking at the event, Karen Palmer, President of BIALL, said: "The winner of this year’s award has been instrumental to the success of the Conference for a number of years. She took over the running of the Conference last year and worked tirelessly with our Conference organizers behind the scenes to ensure everything ran smoothly for the participants. Her organisational skills as well as her courtesy and diplomacy have ensured that the many parties involved in bringing the Conference to fruition are kept on track and deliver on time."
The Wildy BIALL Law Librarian of the Year Award was established in 2005. From 2007 it became the responsibility of the Awards & Bursaries Committee who now administer this prestigious award. The award is generously sponsored by Wildy & Sons Ltd.
The annual award of £500 is made, courtesy of Wildy's, to an individual law librarian / legal information professional who has made a significant contribution to the work of BIALL and/or the legal information world, either in the UK, Ireland or overseas.
BIALL is the leading professional body in the UK and Ireland for information professionals working with legal information. BIALL supports the professional development of its members by organising regular training events, at both a national and regional level, and through the publication of its quarterly journal Legal Information Management. The Annual Conference is also an important event for BIALL members, providing an opportunity to learn about and discuss, formally and informally, the key issues affecting the legal information profession.