11th Dittman Competition Winners Announced

April 2008—Raynor Memorial Libraries have announced the results of the 11th Maria Dittman Library Research Paper Competition.  The winners were awarded cash prizes at a recognition ceremony on April 18th in the Raynor Library Archives' Prucha Reading Room.

Freshman/Sophomore: Christina Jahnke for "Religion and Prejudice: One or Two Entities?" for Psychology 112 with Dr. Nellie Laughlin

Junior/Senior: Sarah Kirby for "The Rule of Law in China: Great Possibility or Doomed Failure?" for History 196 with Dr. Daniel Meissner

Graduate/Professional: Keriann Conlon for "Acute Care Nurse Practitioner: Is There a Role in Interventional Cardiology?" for Nursing 254 with Ms. Linda Piacentine

The Dittman 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.  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."

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 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 increased to $200 each in 2006 and a permanent plaque was commissioned to hang near the Libraries' second floor bridge.  This year, the Dittman winners will be featured on a READ poster that will be prominently displayed in the Library.