The Japan-United States Friendship Commission (JUSFC) congratulates JUSFC Commissioner and U.S. CULCON Panelist Trevor A. Dawes on being named the 2026 ACRL Academic/Research Librarian of the Year by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). This is the highest individual award given by ACRL and recognizes significant national or international contributions to academic or research librarianship. Mr. Dawes serves as Vice Provost for Libraries and Museums and May Morris University Librarian at the University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press.

During his service on JUSFC and U.S. CULCON, Mr. Dawes has contributed in several direct and substantive ways to the U.S.-Japan partnership. He served as a faculty mentor for the JUSFC Summer Institute, a workforce development program that prepares undergraduate students for careers in U.S.-Japan relations. He also co-leads CULCON’s Information Access and Sharing Working Group with Tsuda University President Dr. Yuko Takahashi, focusing on the role of libraries, archives, and information infrastructure in sustaining the bilateral relationship. Mr. Dawes also holds a professorship at the Kyoto Graduate College for Computing and Informatics, reflecting a direct professional investment in U.S.-Japan academic engagement that aligns with JUSFC’s statutory mission to strengthen the partnership and build competencies between the two countries.

The full announcement is available on the ALA website: Trevor A. Dawes Named 2026 ACRL Academic/Research Librarian of the Year