RUSA Book and Media Awards

The Sophie Brody Award

The Sophie Brody Award was first awarded in 2006, and includes a medal for the winner, as well as citations for selected honor books. It is funded by Arthur Brody and the Brodart Foundation, and is given to encourage, recognize and commend outstanding achievement in Jewish literature.

Dartmouth Medal

Established in 1974, this medal honors the creation of a reference work of outstanding quality and significance, including, but not limited to: writing, compiling, editing, or publishing books or electronic information.

The Listen List

The Listen List: Outstanding Audiobook Narration was established in 2010 to identify and honor outstanding audiobook narration. Focused on the experience of the audiobook, the members of the Council select titles that offer notable listening experiences.

Notable Books for Adults

Since 1944, the goal of the Notable Books Council has been to make available to the nation’s readers a list of 25 very good, very readable, and at times very important fiction, nonfiction, and poetry books for the adult reader.

Outstanding Reference Sources

The Outstanding Reference Sources Committee was established in 1958 to recommend the most outstanding reference publications for small and medium-sized libraries.

The Reading List

Established in 2007 by the CODES section of RUSA, The Reading List seeks to highlight outstanding genre fiction that merit special attention by general adult readers and the librarians who work with them.

Best Free Websites

An annual series initiated under the auspices of the Emerging Technologies in Reference Section (MARS) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) of ALA to recognize outstanding reference sites on the World Wide Web.

Outstanding Business Reference Sources

List of outstanding titles in business reference. The titles must be a source for frequently asked business reference questions, and must be suitable for mid-size to large academic and public libraries, compiled by the BRASS Business Reference Sources Committee working group.

Best of the Best Business Websites

Identifies outstanding web sites for librarians involved in providing business reference services.

Best Historical Material

Each year the History Section's Historical Materials Committee compiles and publishes its “Best Historical Materials” in RQ. In addition, the Committee evaluates the pattern and effectiveness of coverage in all fields of history, promotes enhanced availability of historical works and information, and serves as liaison among bibliographers, indexers, publishers, and professional associations.