Student Chapter of the Year Award Committee 2021

2021 Student Chapter of the Year Award

Purpose of the Award

In the spirit of ALA's NMRT, the Student Chapter of the Year Award is presented in recognition of a chapter's outstanding contributions to the American Library Association, their school, and the profession. The purpose of the award is to increase student involvement in ALA through student chapters, and to recognize future leaders in the profession.

Due to circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 health pandemic, the amount and distribution guidelines of the award are subject to change. Please contact the committee chair if you have any questions.

Award and Award Criteria

The Student Chapter winner will receive $1,000 to help defray travel expenses to ALA Annual; the winning chapter and the runner up will each receive a certificate. Both will be recognized at the NMRT Student Reception at the 2021 ALA Annual Conference. 
The seven categories of Student Chapter of the Year Award criteria include:

  • Membership Engagement
  • Programs
  • Communications
  • Leadership
  • Financial Health
  • Awards and Honors
  • Student Chapter Advisor Statement

Eligibility

All ALA Student Chapters in good standing are eligible to receive the ALA Student Chapter of the Year Award. There is no limit on the number of times a student chapter may win the award. Any ALA Student Chapter advisor, Student Chapter officer or member, or ALA member may nominate a Student Chapter, and self-nominations are encouraged.

Nomination Form

The nomination form can be found here. Please e-mail the completed form and any supporting documents in either Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format to the committee chair, Michelle Osborne, at michelle.osborne@gastongov.com. Completed nomination forms must be submitted by March 1, 2021 at 11:59 pm EST. All nominations will be acknowledged upon receipt.

Form evaluation

The Student Chapter of the Year Award Committee will review the nomination forms to select the winner and runner-up Student Chapter of the Year. Points will be assigned to each nominated student chapter, based on criteria and weights used in the evaluation of the nomination form. The award winners are the two student chapters with the highest total scores.

Notification

The winner and runner-up will be notified no later than April 15, 2021, so that the winners may attend the 2021 ALA Annual Conference.

Award presentation

The Student Chapter of the Year Award will be presented to the Student Chapter Officers or delegates at the NMRT Student Reception at the 2021 ALA Annual Conference.

2021 Student Chapter of the Year Award Winner

The New Members Round Table (NMRT) and the American Library Association (ALA) Membership Committee wish to congratulate the ALA Student Chapter at the University of Hawaii at Manoa as the winner of the 2021 ALA Student Chapter of the Year Award. The Kent State University Student Chapter is the runner-up.

2020-2021 SCOTYA Committee Roster

  • Michelle Osborne (Chair)
  • Laura Miller
  • Perri Moreno
  • Tiffany Raymond
  • Joshua Rimmer

Major Responsibilities

  1. Solicit applications from ALA student chapters in good standing.
  2. Select recipient and runner-up.
  3. Notify recipient and runner-up and those chapters not selected.
  4. Prepare application for the following year in consultation with the new chair if he/she has been appointed.
  5. Promote winners and the conferring of award at Awards Reception.
  6. Coordinate conference attendance and responsibilities of recipient with the Student and Student Chapter Outreach Committee (SASCO) chairs and Awards Reception Committee to present award at Annual Conference.

Previous Winners

Look at the list of the previous winners on this page.