91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — Librarians face adversity every day, whether they are defending a book that has been challenged or fighting to provide services on a limited budget.

If you know a similarly beleaguered librarian, now is your chance to give that person some much needed recognition by nominating them for the Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced With Adversity, a new 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) award.

91´«Ã½ is currently accepting through Tuesday, April 15, 2014 for this award, which recently approved by the 91´«Ã½ at its Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Philadelphia. The deadline was originally May 1. In subsequent years, the deadline will be Dec. 1.

The prize consists of $3,000 along with a $1,000 travel stipend to 91´«Ã½’s Annual Conference, an odd, symbolic object from Snicket’s private stash, and a certificate. The nominee must be a librarian.

The following information must be addressed in the application:

• A narrative describing the adverse incident the librarian faced and a description of their response, result and resources utilized;
• Name and contact information of the nominee;
• Name and contact information of the nominator;
• Other supporting documentation, if applicable.

The award, which 91´«Ã½ intends to present at its Annual Conference in Las Vegas, recognizes a librarian who “has faced adversity with integrity and dignity intact.” According to Snicket, it is his hope that, “The Snicket Prize will remind readers everywhere of the joyous importance of librarians and the trouble that is all too frequently unleashed upon them.”

About his sponsorship of the award, Snicket said, "This seems like a better way to channel money to librarians than my previous strategy, which was incurring exorbitant late fees."

Lemony Snicket’s latest book, “File under: 13 Suspicious Incidents,”published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, will be released on April 1, 2014.

To find out more information about the award, including how to nominate candidates, visit .