This award is administered by the College Libraries Section of ACRL; it recognizes small to mid-sized college or university library workers who demonstrate innovation in library services.
About
Year Began: 2009
The purpose of the CLS Innovation Award is to recognize small to mid-sized college or university library workers who demonstrate innovation in library services. Innovation should relate to one or more of the ACRL Plan for Excellence areas of focus, which include: demonstrating the value of academic libraries, student learning, research and scholarly environment, new roles and changing landscape, and equity, diversity and inclusion. Innovation can be in the areas of programs, services or operations.
This award was previously known as the CLS Innovation in College Librarianship Award. This award was previously sponsored by SCELC with a $1000 cash prize to recipients. After a hiatus from 2022-2025, the award was relaunched. Monetary prizes are no longer a component for any ACRL professional recognition award.
Nominations for the 2027 ACRL Awards will open in Fall 2026.
This award recognizes small to mid-sized college or university library workers who demonstrate innovation in library services related to the ACRL Plan for Excellence. “The CLS Awards Committee recognized...
"The committee was very impressed with the student-centered approach of the Discovery Lab, and felt their project showed a lot of creativity and original thought...
“The OASIS search tool was developed to address the issue of college affordability,” said award chair Susan A. Schreiner, access services librarian at Pittsburg State...
“When considering information literacy programs, librarians most often are focused on teaching students about resources for their academic work while they are at our institutions...
“The project was chosen because it represented a new model of instruction composed of two programs: Research Parties and TED Talk as Research Inspiration,” said...
“Drawing on Walls” was a collaboration between Barbara Merolli and Visual Arts Visiting Lecturer Marguerite White during the spring semester 2015 at the College of...
The Rod Library RodCon brought faculty, staff and community members into the library for a day of programs and events, including lectures covering a variety...
Every year the Moraine Valley Community College Library sponsors the “One Book, One College” project, which includes panels and lectures by faculty, resources and study...
Every year the Moraine Valley Community College Library sponsors the “One Book, One College” project, which includes panels and lectures by faculty, resources and study...
Every year the Moraine Valley Community College Library sponsors the “One Book, One College” project, which includes panels and lectures by faculty, resources and study...
Nominees must be in an academic library setting at institutions fitting the Carnegie classifications of Baccalaureate or Masters Colleges and Universities. Self nominations are welcome.
As nominee(s), library worker(s) must demonstrate a capacity for innovation through: working with or serving undergraduates or instructors in one (or more) of the areas designated by the ACRL Plan for Excellence: demonstrating the value of academic libraries, student learning, research and scholarly environment, new roles and changing landscape, and equity, diversity, and inclusion.
OR
facilitating library colleagues' ability to serve the community within one of the areas designated by the ACRL Plan for Excellence.
Electronic submissions through the online nomination form are required. Supporting documents may include:
A description of the project addressing the following points
How this innovation relates to the ACRL Plan for Excellence referring to the areas of focus: value of academic libraries, student learning, research/ scholarly environment, new roles and changing landscape, and equity, diversity and inclusion.
How can other libraries or library workers benefit from this innovation?
Discuss the impact of the innovation (i.e. assessments completed, metrics gathered, etc).
1-3 supporting documents as evidence of the work (e.g. syllabi, lesson plans, photographs, etc.)
