Referencing the Future

The son of a librarian, Kessler took a summer course in library science and eventually began working nights in reference, where he was later assigned to the documents area.

Today, Kessler serves as assistant head of reference at UNC libraries and is responsible for federal, state and international governmental information.

In June, Kessler attended an Atlanta ceremony in his honor. Held by the American Library Association's Government Documents Round Table, Kessler was awarded the James Bennett Childs Award for lifetime contributions to government documents librarianship. The award is a tribute to an individual who has made a lasting contribution to the field of government documents librarianship. Kessler said the ceremony was "very gratifying, warm and personal."

"When you get a lifetime achievement award, it is never an individual effort -- it is always a group effort."

Kessler, a North Carolina native, said he once considered moving to Washington, D.C., but that his decision to remain in Chapel Hill was easy. "I love Chapel Hill. Being content is better than getting ahead."

Joe Hewitt, director of UNC's Academic Affairs Library, sang Kessler's praises. "He's kind of an institution here. ... He has become one of the world's greatest authorities in his area," he said. "He has testified at congressional hearings on behalf of so many different libraries."

Hewitt claims that Kessler's services are often undiscovered yet vital nonetheless.

Kessler has directed more than 50 master's theses, holds three degrees and has taught a public documents course at the School of Information and Library Science for 14 years.

Hewitt said Kessler is committed and focused. "The way he has mentored students ... he knows how to find information that very few people know how to find."

But Kessler attributes much of his success to Hewitt. "People like Dr. Hewitt have had a lot of faith in me," he said. "Dr. Hewitt is the head of the pond, and I'm the little fish in it."

Because Kessler's main expertise lies in federal information, he constantly deals with large influxes of information from the U.S. government. Kessler said this information -- which comes in paper, microfiche and electronic format -- has been in demand by universities nationwide as early as 1813.

During his time at UNC, Kessler has advocated for the public to have unrestricted access to government information in electronic format -- not just on paper. "Getting access to people is a major part of the job, but it's not always easy."

Kessler said he and his colleagues have constantly "fought the U.S. Congress and government for those access rights."

Though a lot of information can be found online these days, the UNC library contains archives that date back to 1798.

This is where Kessler comes in. He helps those people who find the Web confusing and overwhelming.

Only a fraction of all government documents published are made available to the public. Kessler said many documents are labeled "for official use only," and events like Sept. 11 and the tightening of security that followed contribute to the dry-up of information.

But Kessler maintains, "We think American people are the best judges of what they need."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.