For immediate release | September 10, 2024
Call for ALA Awards Jury Volunteers
ALA Members are invited to submit interest in volunteering to serve on ALA Awards Juries. Members who wish to be considered for Awards Juries should submit their interest via this online form by Monday, September 30, 2024. Final jury appointments are made by the ALA Awards Committee Chair, who is appointed by the ALA President-elect and approved by the ALA Executive Board.
Please note this call for volunteers is for ALA General Awards Juries (i.e. awards not administered by a Division, Round Table, or unit within ALA.) Please note that serving on a jury does not count against the recommended three ALA appointments maximum. Neither jury members nor their institutions are eligible for nominations for the award jury on which they are currently serving.
The responsibility of a Jury Member is to:
- Understand the criteria and selection process for the specific award
- Promote award through a diverse range of communication channels for maximum exposure.
- Promote and put forward nominations that are deemed deserving of recognition.
- In the event that the applicant pool is insufficient, examine the jury's records from the past two years and collaborate with the staff liaison to extend the submission deadline. It is important to note that the Award Juries are not required to choose a winner in any given year if suitable candidates for the award are not present.
- Oversee the distribution and evaluation of awards as required, coordinating timelines and ensuring that all deadlines are adhered to.
- Determine the eligibility of nominations based on the guidelines set forth in the Awards Manual and the specific terms of the award.
- Choose the recipient of the award.
- If the jury chair is unable to serve, jury members may be asked to step up and serve.
ALA is seeking volunteers for the following Awards Juries for the 2024-2025 committee term:
- ALA Medal of Excellence
- Beta Phi Mu
- W.Y. Boyd Literary Novel Award
- EBSCO Conference Sponsorship
- Equality Award
- Ernest A. DiMattia Jr. Award for Innovation and Service to Community and Profession
- Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship
- Information Today Library of the Future Award
- Joseph W. Lippincott Award
- Scholastic Library Publishing Award
- Schneider Family Book Award (New jury does not begin until March 2025)
- Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced With Adversity
- EBSCO Information Services Library Staff Development Award formerly H.W. Wilson Library Staff Development Grant
- Paul Howard for Courage
Again, please remember to submit the Awards Jury Interest Form by September 30, 2024 to be considered. Please reach out to governance@ala.org with any additional questions.
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