Dartmouth Medal

Seattle-- The winner of the 2019 Dartmouth Medal for most outstanding reference work, an annual award presented by the expert reference and collection development librarians of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of ALA, is the Marine Fishes of Arctic Canada published by University of Toronto Press. There are two Honorable Mentions this year “Beetles: The Natural History and Diversity of Coleoptera” published by Firefly and “TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching” published by Wiley.

Marine Fishes of Arctic Canada is a major reference work that breaks new ground, documenting 221 species of fish, including about 30 new species first referenced here. It represents decades worth of meticulous scientific research, and its illustrations and range maps enhance the entries. As the pace of climate change increases, study of the Arctic is crucially important, making this a timely work. In addition to the classification listings, there are illuminating introductory essays on a variety of topics relating to Arctic fish research.

Beetles: The Natural History and Diversity of Coleoptera represents the culmination of entomologist Stephen Marshall‘s research. Its rich illustrations, comprehensive coverage, and useful essays make this a valuable resource. TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching, the first publication of the TESOL International Association, offers 750 carefully crafted essays from international scholars on the theory and practice of English language instruction.

The Dartmouth Medal, established in 1974, honors the creation of a reference source of outstanding quality and significance. The award is given to the best new reference source published in the previous year (more precisely, the previous December 1 to December 1, as the source needs to be available for a sufficient amount of time to be adequately reviewed). It is awarded to a new publication, not a new edition.

The Dartmouth committee, made up of reference subject experts from academic, public, and sometimes school and other libraries, receives nominations from librarians, editors, and publishers and spends countless hours reviewing copies throughout the latter half of the year.

The Dartmouth Medal selection committee includes: Sara Duff, University of Central Florida, chair; Donald Altschiller, Boston University; Brian E. Coutts, Western Kentucky University, Janice M. Derr, Eastern Illinois University, Barry Trott, Williamsburg (VA) Regional Library.

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association, represents librarians and library staff in the fields of reference, specialized reference, collection development, readers’ advisory, and resource sharing. RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. Learn more at www.rusaupdate.org.