Excellence in Academic Libraries Award

About the Excellence in Academic Libraries Award To recognize academic librarians and staff who work together as a team to develop academic libraries that are outstanding in furthering the educational missions of their institutions.

Administered by:

Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) logo

Award and Frequency

The program, sponsored by GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO, will support three annual awards of $3,000 each by type of academic library (community, college, and university). Awards will be made by an ACRL representative at a presentation at each institution receiving the award. Further recognition of award recipients will be made at the ACRL President's Program at the annual ALA conference.

Blackwell's gift will cover the outright awards and provide $3,000 for travel to presentation ceremonies.

Applications are kept in the award pool for three years. Applications may be updated each year, as long as they are received by the award deadline.

This award is given out on an annual basis.

Eligibility

Academic and Research Libraries may apply.

Applicant Responsibility

The applicant must agree to take responsibility for organizing and funding a recognition ceremony on campus to receive the award.

Application Instructions

The applicant must agree to take responsibility for organizing and funding a recognition ceremony on campus to receive the award.

Electronic submissions are required. Applicants must complete and upload all supporting documents to the online application form. The application form must be completed in its entirety and applications must be received by December 4, 2020, to receive full consideration. Application receipt will be confirmed upon submission. Please note: applications may not exceed 20MB.

Please also submit a high resolution photo your library (at least 300 dpi). The photo will be used to make the official winner announcement.

Interested parties should feel free to contact the chair and/or the members of the award committee for additional information.

Chair: 
Lauren Pressley
University of Washington Libraries
Work Phone: (206) 685-1532
pressley@uw.edu

Contact Information

Displaying active committee roster as of 03/19/2024. Last retrieved on 03/19/2024. Members can log in and refresh page to view full contact information for committee members.

Selection Criteria

  1. Demonstrate how academic librarians and staff work together as a team to develop an academic library that is outstanding in furthering the educational mission of its parent institution.
  2. The criteria for recognizing excellence through the Blackwell Award Program will emphasize "outcomes" rather than "inputs" as the best measures of quality. "Outcomes" are defined by the ACRL Task Force on Academic Library Outcomes and reflected in the philosophy of Standards for Libraries in Higher Education. Potential nominees are referred to these documents. An academic library may demonstrate excellence as a team of librarians and staff in furthering the educational mission of its institution through one or more of the following, or in other ways that reflect the purpose and philosophy of this award:
    • Creativity and innovation in meeting the needs of their academic community.
    • Leadership in developing and implementing exemplary programs that other libraries can emulate.
    • Substantial and productive relationships with classroom faculty and students.
  3. Agree to take responsibility for organizing and funding a recognition ceremony on campus to receive the award.