(via Gwen Gregory, IACRL Past President)
The Illinois Library Association sponsors many awards each year. Most of them can be given to academic librarians. I encourage you to take a look and consider nominating one of your excellent colleagues. Nominations and supporting materials must be submitted by Monday, May 15. Click on the links below to submit a nomination.
Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial/Demco Award
This award is made annually for sustained activity and contributions having a lasting impact on librarianship. The recipient may be an individual, a group, a program, or an institution.
This award recognizes the achievements of the library workers who are new or relatively new to the field and encourages continued involvement in the profession. Other awards honor those who have accomplished a great deal over a long period of time; this award is to honor people who have accomplished a great deal in a short time.
This annual award is presented to a person who has made an outstanding contribution in library service to young people. Since its inception in 1971, the award has been presented to individuals who exemplify resourcefulness, professionalism and caring in their service to young people.
Demco Library Innovative Award
This award recognizes a library, library consortium, or library system’s achievement in planning and implementing an innovative or creative program or service, which has had measurable impact on its users. The purpose of this award is to encourage innovation by highlighting the overall activities of a library (including staff, administration, governance, and volunteers) in successfully marshaling its resources to benefit its users.
Robert P. Doyle ILA Conference Grant for Support Staff
The purpose of this award is to encourage ILA membership and support staff attendance at the Illinois Library Association Annual Conference.
This annual award is presented to an individual who has made an outstanding local contribution in library services to young people in his/her community by creating and implementing library programs that promote a love of literature and instill positive feelings about libraries.
Illinois Academic Librarian of the Year Award
Established in 1985, this award recognizes an Illinois librarian who is making an outstanding statewide contribution to academic or research librarianship and to library development.
This award recognizes an individual or group for outstanding contributions in defending intellectual freedom or the advancement of these principles as espoused and promulgated by both the Illinois Library Association and the American Library Association.
This award recognizes a librarian’s distinguished service and leadership in Illinois libraries. Generally, the librarian so honored will have made an impact locally, statewide, and nationally. However, if an individual’s service is unusually outstanding on one level, then the nomination can rest on that area alone. Librarians so honored will have demonstrated a commitment to libraries, and especially Illinois libraries, which can serve as a model for others in the profession.
Robert R. McClarren Legislative Development Award
This award is given to a worthy recipient from the Illinois library community–librarian, trustee, legislator, or library–who has contributed significantly to legislative development in the state of Illinois.
Oberman and Rich Reaching Forward Conference Grant
The award recognizes the contributions of a support staff member to the library community and the role of support staff in libraries.
Deborah Dowley Preiser Marketing Award
This award recognizes a library employee’s excellent work in public relations and adult programming over a period of several years, reflecting the importance of publicity and adult programming as central to the role of the library as a community center and to the library as place.
Reader’s Advisory Service Award
This award recognizes excellence in the planning, development, and delivery of readers’ advisory service to adults and teens and has been created in accordance with the mission statement of the Adult Reading Round Table: “to promote readers’ advisory skills and reading for pleasure through libraries”. Readers’ advisory is the ability to connect readers with materials that will satisfy their desire for something to read for pleasure.
This award recognizes excellence in accordance with the Reference Services Forum’s mission statement: “The ILA Reference Services Forum exists for all who are interested in providing assistance to library users as they seek and use information. The forum offers opportunities to share and enhance skills as well as to promote and recognize quality service throughout Illinois”.
The award is given to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of library services for the blind or physically disabled in Illinois.
TBS, Inc. Technical Services Award
This annual citation is awarded to an individual who has made a substantial contribution in the area of library technical services.
This annual citation is awarded to a public library trustee for achievement, leadership, and service to libraries.
Young Adult Librarian of the Year Award
The purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding service to young adults by a librarian serving in the state of Illinois. This annual award is presented to a professional Young Adult Librarian who is currently an ILA member. The recipient will have made an outstanding local contribution in library services to young adults in his/her community by creating and implementing library programs and services that promote a love of literature and/or instill positive feelings about libraries.
This award provides encouragement and support to Illinois recipients of the ALA Spectrum Initiative Scholarship. The Spectrum Initiative was created to address the issues of underrepresentation of ethnic librarians within the profession and to serve as a model for ways to bring attention to other diversity issues. Awardees receive a paid registration to the current ILA Annual Conference and meal functions, recognition at the annual conference award luncheon, and a featured article in an ILA publication.