Category: Small & Medium Libraries

‘Tis the season!

The nomination period is now open for the many achievement awards and conference travel and research grants offered by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

RUSA, which represents librarians and information service professionals in reference, collection development, adult readers’ advisory, genealogy, resource sharing and user services, is accepting nominations for the following 2014 awards. The deadline for all nominations is December 15, 2013, with the exception of the BRASS Gale Cengage Learning Student Travel Award, which has a deadline of January 31, 2013. Award criteria, nomination forms and instructions for submissions are available at each of the award’s web pages below.

Professional Achievement Awards for Individuals and Groups

• The Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award, RUSA’s highest honor, recognizes an individual who has made a distinguished contribution to reference librarianship. Sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning; $5,000 prize and a citation.
• Novelist’s Margaret E. Monroe Library Adult Services Award recognizes a librarian who has made significant contributions to library adult services. The winner receives a citation and $1,250; sponsored by EBSCO’s Novelist.
• The BRASS Gale Cengage Learning Award for Excellence in Business Librarianship is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to business librarianship. Sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning; $3,000 prize and a citation.
• The Gale Cengage Learning Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Library Services is given to a library or library system for developing an imaginative and unique resource to meet patrons’ reference needs. Sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning; $3,000 prize and a citation.
• The History Section Genealogical Publishing Company Award is presented to a librarian, library or publisher who is a RUSA member and recognizes professional achievement in historical reference and research librarianship. Sponsored by Genealogical Publishing Company; prize of $1,500 and a citation.
• The John Sessions Memorial Award recognizes a library or library system that has made a significant effort to work with the labor community and by doing so has brought recognition to the history and contribution of the labor movement to the development of the United States. Supported by the Department of Professional Employees, AFL-CIO; the winner receives a plaque.
• The Louis Shores Award recognizes an individual reviewer, group, editor, review medium or organization for excellence in book reviewing and other media for libraries. The winner receives a citation at the RUSA awards ceremony at the ALA Annual Conference.
• The Reference Service Press Award recognizes the most outstanding article published in RUSQ during the preceding two-volume year. Sponsored by Reference Service Press; $2,500 prize and a plaque.
• The Virginia Boucher/OCLC Distinguished ILL Librarian Award is given to an individual for his or her outstanding professional achievement, leadership and contributions to interlibrary loan and document delivery. Sponsored by OCLC; $2,000 prize and a citation.
• The Zora Neale Hurston Award honors an individual ALA member who has demonstrated leadership in promoting African-American literature. Sponsored by HarperCollins; the winner receives $1,250 supporting travel to the ALA Annual Conference, a plaque, tickets to the United for Libraries Author Tea event and a set of Hurston’s books in print with HarperCollins at the time of the award.
• The RSS Service Achievement Award is a citation presented annually to a Reference Services Section (RSS) member in recognition of exceptional contributions to the section.
• The MARS “My Favorite Martian” Award is a citation presented annually in recognition of excellence in service to the MARS: Emerging Technologies in Reference Section.

Travel Grants to ALA Annual Conference

• The BRASS Business Expert Press Award for Academic Business Librarians is sponsored by Business Expert Press and is presented to a new librarian in the field of academic business librarianship in order to support attendance at the ALA Annual Conference. This award consists of $1,250 and a citation.
• The BRASS Gale Cengage Learning Student Travel Award presents $1,000 and a citation to a student enrolled in an ALA accredited master’s degree program to fund travel to the ALA Annual Conference. This award’s nomination deadline is Jan. 31, 2013. Sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning.
• The Morningstar Public Librarian Support Award, sponsored by Morningstar, Inc., offers $1,250 and a citation to support the attendance at Annual Conference of a public librarian who has performed outstanding business reference service and who requires financial assistance to attend the conference.
• The STARS/Atlas Systems Mentoring Award offers $1,250 and a citation to fund ALA Annual Conference travel expenses for a library practitioner who is new to the field of interlibrary loan/document delivery or electronic reserves and who has daily, hands-on involvement in the areas of borrowing, lending, document delivery, electronic reserves, material delivery or resource sharing. Sponsored by Atlas Systems.

Research Grants

• The History Section/Gale Cengage History Research and Innovation Award consists of up to $2500 and a citation. This award is granted to an MLS degreed librarian from an ALA accredited school to facilitate and further research relating to history and history librarianship. Sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning.
• The BRASS Emerald Research Grant consists of one $5,000 award and a citation presented to an individual or group seeking support to conduct research in business librarianship. This award is sponsored by Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

More information about these awards, including nominating and submission instructions, can be found at the RUSA Awards Web page. Monetary award amounts are subject to change without notice and are contingent upon donor funding supplied at the time the award is presented. Questions about these awards should be directed to the committee chairperson or to Leighann Wood, RUSA awards program coordinator at lwood@ala.org.

RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. Learn more about the association at www.ala.org/rusa.