10th Dittman Competition Winners Announced

April 2007—Raynor Memorial Libraries have announced the results of the 10th Maria Dittman Library Research Competition.  The winners were awarded cash prizes at a recognition ceremony on April 19th in the Raynor Library Conference Center.

Freshman/Sophomore: Kaye Wierzbicki for her paper, "Bridging the Gap Between Subject and Object: Autobiographical Discourse in Fiction as a Means to Justice," written for English 171 (Dr. Christine Krueger and Prof Shirley Wiegand)

Junior/Senior: James Conway for "A Legion of Heroes: The Return of Milwaukee's Union Veterans in the Gilded Age," written for History 196 (Dr. Thomas Jablonsky)

Graduate/Professional: Abby Mattson for "Investigation of NO Formation in Internal Combustion Using Laser-Induced Fluorescence" written for Mechanical Engineering 159 (Dr. Jon Koch)

Staff of the University Libraries conceived the competition in 1997 to honor retiring instruction librarian Maria Dittman, who taught research skills to thousands of students in her 25+ years at the university.  The first awards (two categories at that time) were made in 1998, funded entirely by the Librarians' Assembly.  An elected committee of librarians and support staff now organize the annual competition and award process.  When Maria Dittman passed away in 2005, her family designated the Dittman Competition for memorial gifts, ensuring a long future for competition.  The awards were were increased to $200 each in 2006 and a permanent plaque (unveiled at this year's ceremony) was commissioned for a prominent place in Raynor Library.

The competition is launched each January and all Marquette students are invited to submit their A-grade papers from the previous calendar year.  Each submission must be accompanied by a one-to-two-page description of the research process, including sources used, citation style, difficulties encountered, and what was learned about research during the writing of the paper.  Competition guidelines and a list of past winners are maintained online.  The award ceremony, held during National Library Week, is a popular library event, attended by staff, winners, and their professors.  As current committee member Mary Frenn said, "the competition gives library staff an opportunity to connect with a group of talented students who make the most of what the library offers.  We know many winners have gone on to success in master's and doctoral programs."