Awards (Books & Media)

Readers’ advisory experts announce 2017 Reading List: Year’s best in genre fiction for adult readers

ATLANTA—The Reading List Council has announced the 2017 selections of the Reading List, an annual best-of list comprised of eight different fiction genres for adult readers. A shortlist of honor titles, up to 4 per genre was also announced. The list was announced today during the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting held in Atlanta.

The 2017 selections are:

Adrenaline

Readers’ advisory experts announce 2017 Notable Books List: Year’s best in literary fiction, nonfiction and poetry for adults

ATLANTA—The Notable Books Council, first established in 1944, has announced the 2017 selections of the Notable Books List, an annual best-of list comprised of twenty-six titles written for adult readers and published in the U.S. including literary fiction, nonfiction and poetry. The list was announced today at the Reference and User Services Association's (RUSA) Book and Media Awards ceremony during the American Library Association’s (ALA) Midwinter Meeting in Atlanta.

The 2017 selections are:

Fiction

Dartmouth Medal for excellence in reference awarded to “Encyclopedia of Embroidery from the Arab World”

ATLANTA-- The winner of the 2017 Dartmouth Medal for most outstanding reference work, an annual award presented by the expert reference and collection development librarians of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is the “Encyclopedia of Embroidery from the Arab World” published by Bloomsbury Academic and edited by Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood. The winner was announced at the RUSA Book and Media Awards ceremony on Sunday at ALA's Midwinter Meeting in Atlanta.

Reference experts announce annual Outstanding Reference Sources list for adults

ATLANTA - The most noteworthy reference titles published in 2016 have been named to the 2017 Outstanding References Sources List, an annual list selected by experts of the Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The list was announced today at ALA’s Midwinter Meeting in Atlanta.

"Moonglow" named winner of 2017 Sophie Brody Medal for achievement in Jewish literature

ATLANTA – The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has announced its selection for the 2017 Sophie Brody Medal, an annual honor bestowed by the Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES) of RUSA, a division of the American Library Association (ALA) at ALA’s Midwinter Meeting today in Atlanta.

Business reference experts select annual list of Best of the Best Business Reference Websites

ATLANTA—The annual Best of the Best Business Reference Websites list was announced at the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) Book and Media Awards ceremony at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting in Atlanta on Sunday.

Trevor Noah, host of “The Daily Show” named recipient of Zora Neale Hurston Award

ATLANTA--Trevor Noah, host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and author of Born a Crime, was named the 2017 recipient of the Zora Neale Hurston Award, an annual achievement award administered by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (

RUSA’s Emerging Technologies Section selects 18th annual list of Best Free Reference Websites

CHICAGO—The 18th Annual Best Free Reference Websites list, previously published in the Fall 2016 issue of Reference & User Services Quarterly, is now also available on RUSA’s website. This year’s list features twenty-two websites with annotations composed by members of ETS’ Best Free Web Sites committee.

Annual list of Best Historical Materials announced by history experts

ATLANTA—The annual list of Best Historical Materials was announced during the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) Book and Media Awards Ceremony at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting in Atlanta on Sunday. The list recognizes the evaluation and effectiveness of coverage of historical resources in all fields of history and promotes the enhanced availability of historical works and information.

2017 Listen List: Outstanding Audiobook Narration for adults revealed

ATLANTA—The Listen List Council of the Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has announced the 2017 selections of the Listen List: Outstanding Audiobook Narration. The 2017 committee listened to 1,919 hours of audiobooks, evaluated over 200 titles, debated 45 nominations, and narrowed the field to the final twelve winners. This award highlights extraordinary narrators and listening experiences that merit special attention by a general adult audience and the librarians who advise them.