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NEWPORT - The Oregon Library Association has named Janet Webster, librarian at the Guin Library at Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, as its Librarian of the Year. The honor was announced at the association's annual meeting recently in Corvallis.

She is the second OSU librarian to receive the honor. Karyle Butcher, OSU's University Librarian, was tapped for the award in 1999.

Webster, who received a master of library science degree in 1986, has worked at the Guin Library since 1989. The highly specialized library houses OSU's marine sciences research collection and supports the varied research conducted at HMSC and the Astoria Seafoods Laboratory.

The Guin librarian oversees a collection of more than 29,000 volumes and 310 periodicals, yet she does not have a science background - a fact, she said, that sometimes surprises people.

"It's someplace I never thought I'd end up working," she said. "But a good librarian is a good librarian," and knowing the kinds of information her audience needs and helping them find it is a key to her success.

Working at a specialized research library is also different from traditional libraries because of the audience itself, she said. Instead of hordes of visitors needing a wide range of material, Webster caters to a smaller, more focused audience - people who often become friends as well as colleagues.

Webster has been deeply involved with the Oregon Library Association. A member since 1985, she served as the group's president from 2001-02, and has worked committees covering a wide variety of library issues.

In a letter to the association endorsing Webster's nomination for the award, Butcher wrote: "She is intelligent, hardworking, calm and as all of us who work with her know, she has a wicked sense of humor. She is a fierce believer in libraries and works hard to forward the cause of all library employees. She appreciates and understands that libraries truly are one of the last places where democracy works and works well."

Webster said the award means a lot to her.

"It feels really good to be recognized by that broad swath of peers. This is the association of the state representing people who work in libraries, all types of libraries. My colleagues recognize that I contribute and that I'm committed to all kinds of libraries."