Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology (LITA / OCLC)

The Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology is sponsored by OCLC (Online Computer Library Center, Inc.) and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of the American Library Association.

The purpose of this award is to bring attention to research relevant to the development of information technologies, especially work which shows promise of having a positive and substantive impact on any aspect of the publication, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information, or the processes by which information and data is manipulated and managed. The intent is to recognize a body of work probably spanning years, if not the majority of a career. The award will consist of $2,000 cash and an expense paid trip to the ALA conference (airfare and two nights lodging).

Nominations will be accepted from any member of the American Library Association, although the person nominated does not need to be an ALA member. Self-nominations are also accepted. Nominating letters should briefly address how the research is relevant to libraries; is creative in its design or methodology; builds on existing research or enhances potential for future exploration; and/or solves an important current problem in the provision of information resources. In addition, a complete curriculum vita and a copy of several seminal publications by the nominee must be included. Nominees may be asked to submit additional information to the Frederick G. Kilgour Award Committee. Preference will be given to completed research over works in progress.

Currently-serving officers and elected officials of LITA, members of the current Kilgour Committee, previous winners of the Award, and OCLC employees and their immediate family members are ineligible.

Submit nominations to the Frederick G. Kilgour Award Committee using the online nomination form before January 1.

The award will be presented at the LITA President's Program at the ALA Annual Conference.

The following distinguished people have received the award to date:

  • Karen Markey Drabenstott, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 1998
  • Dean K. Jue, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 1999
  • Gary Marchionini, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 2000
  • Marcia Bates, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 2001
  • Carol C. Kuhlthau, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 2002
  • Herbert Van de Sompel, Los Alamos National Laboratories, Los Alamos, NM, 2003
  • Carl Lagoze, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 2004
  • William E. Moen, University of North Texas , Denton, TX, 2005
  • Ching-chih Chen, Simmons College, Boston MA, 2006
  • Richard Pearce-Moses, Arizona State Library, 2007
  • Dr. Jane Greenberg, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 2008
  • William H. Mischo, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2009
  • Dr. John Willinsky, Stanford University, 2010
  • Daniel J. Cohen, George Mason University, 2011
  • G Sayeed Choudhury, Johns Hopkins University, 2012
  • Barbara Tillett, Library of Congress, 2013
  • Michael Buckland, University of California, Berkeley, 2014
  • Ed Summers, University of Maryland, 2015
  • Dr. June Abbas, University of Oklahoma, 2016
  • Timothy Cole, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2017
  • Richard P. Smiraglia, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2018
  • Charles McClure, Florida State University, 2019
  • Dr. Jian Qin, Syracuse University, 2020

Visit the LITA Awards & Scholarships page for information on additional LITA awards.