91´«Ã½

CHICAGO—Beginning September 1, 2016, the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) will open the nomination period for its annual series of achievement awards and grants. Nominations and supporting materials for most awards must be submitted by December 9, 2016**.

RUSA encourages members to nominate their colleagues whose work has influenced their thinking and performance and whose outstanding contributions merit recognition by the profession. RUSA has, and will continue to, nominate, select and honor the very best in the field of reference and user services with the continued support of industry sponsors.

Achievement awards for individuals and groups:

, RUSA's highest honor, recognizes an individual who has made a distinguished contribution to the field of reference librarianship. $5,000* and a citation. Sponsored by .

is given to a library or library system for developing an imaginative and unique resource to meet patrons’ reference needs. $1,500* and a citation. Sponsored by .

recognizes a librarian who has made significant contributions to library adult services. $1,250* and a citation. Sponsored by .

recognizes a library or library system that has made a significant effort to work with the labor community and by doing so has brought recognition to the history and contribution of the labor movement to the development of the United States. The winner receives a plaque. Sponsored by the ,

recognizes the most outstanding article published in Reference and User Services Quarterly (RUSQ), RUSA's research journal, during the preceding two-volume year. $2,500* and a plaque. Sponsored by .

is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to business librarianship. $4,000* and a citation. Sponsored by .

recognizes an individual reviewer, group, editor, review medium or organization for excellence in book reviewing and other media for libraries. The winner receives a citation.

honors an individual 91´«Ã½ member who has demonstrated leadership in promoting African-American literature. The winner receives $1,250* supporting travel to the 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference, a beautiful plaque, two tickets to the United for Libraries author events: The Gala Author Tea and The Laugh's On Us, and two complete sets of Zora Neale Hurston's books and audiobooks. Sponsored by .

is a citation presented annually in recognition of excellence in service to the Emerging Technologies Section of RUSA. The winner receives a citation.

is presented to a librarian, library or publisher who recognizes professional achievement in historical reference and research librarianship. $1,500* and a citation. Sponsored by .

The Online History Award is offered every other year beginning in 2005. Awarded to a publisher of reference materials in the field of history, the award recognizes the accomplishments of a person or a group of people producing (1) a freely available online historical collection, or (2) an online tool tailored for the purpose of finding historical materials, or (3) an online teaching aid stimulating creative historical scholarship. A citation is presented.

is presented annually to a member of the Reference Services Section (RSS) of RUSA in recognition of exceptional contributions to the section. The winner receives a citation.

is given to an individual for his or her outstanding professional achievement, leadership, and contributions to interlibrary loan and document delivery. $2,000* and a citation. Sponsored by .

Travel awards to 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference in Chicago :

presents funds to a student enrolled in an 91´«Ã½ accredited master’s degree program to fund travel the 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference. $1,250* and a citation. Sponsored by . **This award's nomination deadline is Jan. 29, 2017.

is presented to a new librarian in the field of academic business librarianship in order to support attendance to the 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference. $1,250* and a citation. Sponsored by .

offers funds to a public librarian who has performed outstanding business reference service and who requires financial assistance to attend the 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference. $1,250* and a citation. Sponsored by

offers 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference travel assistance funds to two library practitioners who are new to the field of interlibrary loan/document delivery or electronic reserves, and who has involvement in the areas of borrowing, lending, document delivery, electronic reserves, material delivery or resource sharing. $1,250* and a citation for each winner. Sponsored by .

Research grants:

is granted to an MLS degreed librarian from an 91´«Ã½ accredited school to facilitate and further research relating to history and history librarianship. $2,500* and a citation. Sponsored by .

, is presented to an individual or group seeking support to conduct research in business librarianship. $5,000* and a citation. Sponsored by .

*Monetary award amounts are subject to change without notice and are contingent upon donor funding supplied at the time the award is presented.

Questions about these awards should be directed to Leighann Wood, Sr. Program Officer, lwood@ala.org.

More information about these awards, including nominating instructions, can be found on .

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the 91´«Ã½, represents librarians and library staff in the fields of reference, specialized reference, collection development, readers’ advisory and resource sharing. RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. Learn more about the association at www.ala.org/rusa.