von Dran Award
About Raymond F. Von Dran (1946-2007)
Ray von Dran 
broke new ground throughout his career to help bring library and information science schools into the Information Age. A founding member of the I-Schools Group (now the iCaucus)—an international consortium of academic institutions focused on the relationship between information and people—von Dran was among a core group of visionaries who helped define the newly emerging academic field of information studies, examining how information, in all its forms, expands human capabilities.
He led the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University through a 12-year period of unprecedented productivity (1995-2007), during which the number of faculty and students nearly tripled, sponsored research increased five-fold, and four of the school’s programs earned top-four rankings from U.S. News and World Report, including the top-ranked master’s in information systems. Syracuse often served as a model for other iSchools to emulate, and von Dran graciously advised them on how to establish such a collegial and productive workplace. He had hoped to return to teaching and research, and he wanted to focus on creating commercial spin-offs and assisting with fund-raising and creating strategic partnerships for the school.
Prior to arriving at Syracuse, von Dran served as dean of the information schools at The Catholic University of America from 1983 to 1987. During his tenure, he integrated information science into the School of Library and Information Science and established programs in medical and legal informatics. He became dean at the University of North Texas School of Library and Information Sciences in 1987. During his eight years there, von Dran secured $1.1 million in federal funding to create and direct the interdisciplinary Ph.D. in information science, pulling together faculty from computer science, communications, business computer information systems, technology and cognition, and information science.
Dean von Dran was an inspirational leader who took bold actions and made no apologies for voicing his strong convictions. In addition to being an esteemed scholar and teacher, he was a beloved friend and mentor to his peers, faculty, students, and staff, as well as an adoring father and husband. One of his greatest skills and accomplishments in life was making every person he encountered feel special and an invaluable contributor to whatever task was at hand. He was nurturer of and believer in young talent, and shared his child-like enthusiasm with those around him. He had fine taste in art, music, and food, and a fun-loving personality with a relaxed sense of humor. He was often a champion for those without voice and those dedicated to a goal. His passion for life and learning was contagious and continues to inspire generations of library and information professionals who knew him.
Von Dran wrote The National Union Catalog Experience: Implications for Network Planning (Library of Congress, 1980), as well as numerous articles and papers on such topics as information science education, competencies for the Information Age, the economics of information, managing information resources, and authority control structure in libraries. He chaired the American Society for Information Science and Technology’s Education Committee, which created the organization’s first educational standards. He has advised a score of universities on information technology systems and new information curriculum.
Von Dran earned a Ph.D. in information science and master’s degrees in library science and French intellectual history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a bachelor’s degree in foreign languages and history from Seton Hall University.