Procedures for Administering Awards
Nominations
The call for nominations for awards is made in September with wide distribution
to members and the library community through the ALCTS NewsletterOnline, American
Libraries and other professional journals, as well as electronically. For most
awards, the deadline for submissions is December 1 of each year. The ALCTS Executive
Director sends the press release to ALA's Public Information Officer for such
distribution, in addition to posting in ALCTS publications and lists.
Juries on Individual Awards
Each award is administered by a jury appointed annually by the President-elect
or the Chair-elect of the section responsible for administering the award.
The jury may begin its work at the Annual Conference preceding the Annual Conference
at which the award is to be made. Each jury has a procedure manual, which outlines
the specific guidelines for handling that particular award. Each jury is responsible
for:
- Reviewing nominations and selecting winners according to the guidelines
for the award;
- Reporting the name(s) of the winner(s) to the ALCTS Board, either directly
or through a section executive committee, at the Midwinter Meeting prior to
the Annual Conference at which the award is to be presented;
- Carrying out other duties of the jury as outlined in its manual;
- Maintaining liaison and communication with the ALCTS Board or sponsoring
Executive Committee on matters of mutual concern;
- Maintaining and keeping its procedure manual current.
Nomination for More Than One Award
There are rare instances in which one person may be nominated for more than
one award, most likely happening with the two publications awards. Normally,
one person should not receive more than one ALCTS award in one year. It is however
difficult to eliminate this prospect completely since awards juries work confidentially
and the results of their deliberation is not known until the report is filed
with the Board. Contact the ALCTS Executive Director if such a situation may
arise.
Lack of Suitable Candidates
Juries are not obligated to select a winner in any year when appropriate candidates
are not available. If no winner is selected, the jury chair must notify the
ALCTS President and Executive Director as soon as the decision is made and as
far in advance of the Midwinter Meeting as possible.
Citation and Financial Award
The award winner for six awards is presented a citation and a financial award
of varying values. A scholarship is given to a library school of the winner's
choice for the other two awards in addition to the winner receiving a citation.
The format of the citation is commensurate with the significance of the contributions
to librarianship, which those awards represent, and with the esteem in which
the Association, its sections and members hold the recipients. The ALCTS Office
prepares the citations and the checks for the winners. Wording of the citation
is based upon the information received, and on personal knowledge and judgment
of the jury members following the criteria of the award.
Presentation of Awards
The awards are presented at the ALCTS Awards Ceremony during the Annual Conference
at a time and place determined by the ALCTS Board. Each award winner is presented
with a citation at the ceremony.
Each award chair reads the name of the recipient and the actual citation. It
is customary to have the award sponsor present the award to the recipient. Photographs,
both formal and informal, are taken to record the event. The ALCTS office handles
all arrangements for this ceremony.
Publicizing Call for Nominations
The ALCTS office prepares and distributes an announcement in September describing
the nomination procedures and providing the name and email address of the incoming
jury chair. This announcement requests a formal statement of nomination with
brief rationale and a resume or narrative career outline upon which the jury
can base its determinations. Endorsements from others should provide evidence
of worthiness as each writer has observed it. The notice states that completeness
of documentation is desirable, but that the number of letters received for any
candidate is not as important as evidence of accomplishment.
Publicizing the Awards
By March 1st, the ALCTS Executive Director will distribute a press release
announcing the winners of the awards. This press release is distributed through
the ALA Public Information Office and by the Office.
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