2004 Aubrey Mitchell

 Aubrey Mitchell, Associate Dean, University of Tennessee Libraries, is the recipient of the 2004 Tennessee Resource Sharing Award.

Aubrey has served library needs of the University and the state for over 43 years. His long and distinguished career and service has recently deepened in contribution through his work as co-chair of the TEL Phase II Steering Committee. Aubrey's leadership and dedication to the success and advancement of TEL, TEL Phase II, TENN-SHARE and, more recently, Volunteer Voices, is extraordinary. He has tirelessly moved these projects forward without bringing any attention to himself but ensuring that many librarians from UT and from around the state are involved and leading various efforts. However, without Aubrey's leadership many of these efforts, particularly the TEL Phase II strategic planning process and Volunteer Voices would not have reached the maturity that they now have.

Aubrey has made sure that UT, the largest publicly supported library in the state, is firmly behind these efforts providing significant expertise and funding for the benefit of the state. He has diplomatically and successfully encouraged the active participation of key libraries, public, private, and state-run, to these efforts. He has been a key player in lobbying state officials such as the Secretary of State and the Commissioner of Education as well as state legislators to the benefits of state resource sharing and the TEL projects in particular. He is an outstanding individual, librarian, and public servant of the state of Tennessee.