91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — The of the 91´«Ã½ has chosen Dr. Megan Oakleaf, associate professor at the University of Syracuse iSchool, as the 2021 recipient of the LIRT Librarian Recognition Award. The Librarian Recognition Award was created to recognize an individual’s contribution to the development, advancement and support of information literacy and instruction.

Oakleaf began her library career as a fellow at North Carolina State University, where she also worked as the librarian for instruction and undergraduate research. Since 2006, she has been a member of the faculty at the University of Syracuse iSchool, where she is currently the director of online engagement. She has numerous publications and presentations on instruction, assessment, learning analytics, and library value and impact, including the books Academic Library Value: The Impact Starter Kit, and The Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and Report. She has been the principal investigator on many IMLS funded projects, including Connecting Libraries and Learning Analytics for Student Success (CLLASS), and the Rubric for Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (RAILS). Her service to the profession has been significant and impactful, including her role as a founding member of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Institutional Research Interest Group, and a long-time member of the ACRL Value of Academic Libraries Committee, among many others. The Awards Committee particularly noted the depth and variety of her scholarly output, and her involvement in ground-breaking information literacy initiatives and research.

In response to learning of the award, she shared the following statement: "I’m very humbled to receive this acknowledgment and join the list of those who have been honored with the LIRT Librarian Recognition Award in the past. I’m grateful to belong to a profession that values the contributions of instruction librarians. There has never been a time when this work was more essential to our learners and society, and I’m proud to have contributed in some way to the efforts of information literacy librarians nationwide."

The Library Instruction Round Table was started in 1977 with the intent to bring together librarians who provide library instruction across all types of libraries–academic, public, school, and special. 2021 marks the eighth year the Librarian Recognition Award has been awarded. Dr. Oakleaf will be presented with a $1,000 cash prize and a plaque commemorating the award. Her achievement will be celebrated at a virtual awards ceremony during the 91´«Ã½ Annual virtual conference in June 2021 (date and time to be announced).

Visit to find out more about LIRT, its mission, and the awards.

The LIRT Librarian Recognition Awards Subcommittee included Rebecca O'Kelly Davis of Simmons University (chair), Charlotte Nance of the Western Plains Library System, and Wayne Finley of Northern Illinois University.