The Innovation and Advocacy in Library History Award is presented by the Library History Round Table (LHRT) of the American Library Association as a “best of year” achievement award that enables the LHRT to acknowledge individuals or organizations that have made recent, substantive contributions to LHRT or to the wider library history community. The intention of the award is to recognize efforts that are ineligible for other LHRT prizes; thus, nominations which emphasize publication of articles, books, dissertations, or essays will not be considered. Membership in LHRT is encouraged but not required.
The Innovation and Advocacy in Library History Award is a non-monetary award with a printed citation. There is no cash or medal associated with the award.
Criteria
Nominations, including self-nominations, are welcomed from all interested parties but must pertain to activities taking place in the past two years. Nominations will be judged on the contributions’ quality, impact, and relevance to LHRT or the library history community. The LHRT is particularly interested in recognizing those who have promoted library history in exceptional or new ways or who have reached audiences that have not been engaged previously.
Submissions and Selection
Each nomination must include a brief statement thoroughly explaining the contribution or project and why the nominee is worthy of consideration. It must also include at least two (2) letters of support. Individual nominees must include a CV or resume, while organizational nominees must include a statement indicating the organization’s mission and other background information. Before submitting materials, nominators should contact the committee Chair to learn whether the person or organization has already been nominated. Nominators of the same entity may be asked to collaborate to produce stronger applications and reduce duplicative effort.
Applicants must submit their documents via email to Sheila Devaney, Innovation and Advocacy in Library History Award Committee Chair; please use "LHRT Innovation and Advocacy in Library History Award" in the subject line.
Applications must be received by the deadline of April 15, 2023. The application deadline is firm, and any submissions received after the deadline will not be forwarded to the committee.
