ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE 2009 ALA NMRT STUDENT CHAPTER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER AND RUNNER-UP


The New Members Round Table (NMRT) and the American Library Association (ALA) Membership Committee wish to congratulate the American Library Association Student Chapter at San Jose State University as the winner of the 2009 ALA Student Chapter of the Year Award. The runner-up of this year’s award is the ALA Student Chapter at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

The Student Chapter of the Year Award is presented in recognition of a chapter’s outstanding contributions to ALA, its school, and the profession. The purpose of the award is to increase student involvement in ALA through student chapters and to recognize its leaders. Official ALA Student Chapters are organizations formed by students at schools offering accredited programs of library and information studies. The winning student chapter receives a $1,000 travel grant to help with the cost of ALA conference attendance.

This year’s Student Chapter of the Year Award Committee members commend San Jose State University’s chapter for their work in each of the seven categories related to the award. The chapter made excellent use of Web 2.0 technology to involve both on-campus and distance education students in programming, and the quantity and quality of chapter programs was also laudable, with their Luminary Lecture Series winning an award for Outstanding Educational Program, viewed by more than 500 people. The committee was also impressed with the level of involvement San Jose’s chapter officers have had with professional organizations at the national and state association level and with their vision for the chapter, which includes encouraging scholarly achievement and professional awareness.

Debbie Faires, Assistant Director for Distance Learning and Advisor to the San Jose State University ALA student chapter, stated: “They have been continuously active and have successfully carried out an ambitious plan of activities and events. The officers have met in venues varying from the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim to cyberspace via web conferencing…They have provided quality experiences for the students in our school. They work well together and have welcomed new officers and quickly included them in the decision making process. They are now working to ensure the continued success of the chapter through careful attention to identifying future officers who will be committed to the success of the chapter…Their conduct and activities have been at a professional level and have been innovative and inclusive.”

The runner-up of this year’s award, the ALA Student Chapter of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, is honored for its use of Web 2.0 technology, outreach to distance education students, and excellent array of programs. In addition, chapter members have received an impressive number of awards over the last two years.

The SCOTYA Committee members, the ALA Membership Committee, and NMRT extend their appreciation to all the ALA student chapters for their time and effort in submitting nominations for 2009, and encourage all ALA student chapters to continue their great work!
Bob Wolverton
Associate Professor/Database Maintenance/Authority Control Librarian
Mississippi State University Libraries
Chair, 2008-2009 ALA NMRT Student Chapter of the Year Award Committee
(662) 325-4618
bwolverton@library.msstate.edu