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Click here to download award nomination guidelines and requirements.
Review the Criteria and Eligibility below.
Purpose
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.
Eligibility
The recipient must be working as a librarian in an Illinois academic or research library. The recipient must be a personal ILA member or be employed at an institution that is an ILA member. The recipient must have distinguished themself in notable service to the IACRL forum and to the Illinois Library Association, as well as exhibited leadership and exemplary library service in an academic or research setting.
Criteria
To assure equitability of representation of awardees among the various types of academic libraries and constituencies represented in the forum’s membership, the awards committee will give consideration, on a revolving basis, to the following factors in the selection process.
Individuals nominated should have demonstrated service to the organized profession through ILA and/or the IACRL forum. Additionally, the nominee should have notable achievements in at least two of the following three areas:
- significant and influential academic or research library service;
- contributions to academic or research library development through research or publications; or
- planning or implementing a library program of exemplary quality.
Award Winners
The recipient will receive a certificate, a financial award totaling $500, and have their name added to the plaque at the Illinois State Library.
Please note that monetary award amounts are subject to change without notice and are contingent upon donor funding supplied at the time the award is presented.
Nomination Deadline
May 15
Nomination Submissions
The nominator’s statement of support should address all criteria under the individual awards as outlined. Nominator must submit the nomination form and attach all support statements, letters, and documentation, etc. required by the award’s criteria.
If a group, department, or organization is chosen as the award winner, the individual members of the group will be collectively recognized. If more than one individual nominates the same person, only one nominator will be invited to attend the Award Ceremony. ILA must receive all nominations by May 15.
Previous Illinois Academic Librarian of the Year Award Winners
1986 Doris Brown
1987 Hugh C. Atkinson
1988 Clayton Highum
1989 Donna Goehner
1990 Arthur H. Miller, Jr.
1991 Charles E. Hale
1992 Judith A. Harwood
1993 Elaine Rast
1994 Melvin J. Klatt
1995 Bradley Baker
1996 Pamela Gaitskill
1997 John A. Whisler
1998 Thomas Kilpatrick
1999 Carolyn A. Sheehy
2000 Sue Stroyan
2001 Arthur P. Young
2002 Jay Starratt
2003 Gary Newhouse
2004 Mary H. Munroe
2005 no award
2006 Earl Shumaker
2007 no award
2008 Allen Lanham
2009 John W. Berry
2010 David Carlson
2011 Paula Kaufman
2012 Charlotte Johnson
2013 Carla B. Tracy
2014 Susan Swords Steffen
2015 Dennis Krieb
2016 Pattie Piotrowski
2017 Lian Ruan
2018 Rob Morrison
2019 Gwen Gregory
2020 Molly Beestrum
2021 Susan R. Franzen
2022 Michelle Nielsen Ott
2023 Jade Kastel
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