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CHICAGO – Bill Jones and Ben Rawlins, both of the State University of New York (SUNY)-Geneseo Milne Library, have been named the 2019 recipients of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) College Libraries Section (CLS) Innovation in College Librarianship Award for their work on the ) project. Jones is the digital resources and systems librarian, and Rawlins is the library director.

This annual award honors 91´«Ã½ members who have demonstrated a capacity for innovation in their work with undergraduates, instructors, and/or the library community.

Their $1,000 award and plaque, donated by SCELC, will be presented during the CLS Friday Night Feast at the 2019 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference in Washington, DC.

OASIS is an open educational resource search tool that makes the discovery of open content easier by (currently) searching 72 sources containing more than 170,000 records. It searches multiple vetted sources for materials, most of which are in the public domain or openly licensed. For example, users can search for materials from MIT OpenCourseWare, OpenStax, Open Textbook Library, Ted Talks, and the Directory of Open Access Books, among many others, from one interface.

“The OASIS search tool was developed to address the issue of college affordability,” said award chair Susan A. Schreiner, access services librarian at Pittsburg State University. “This tool provides faculty the means to provide free textbooks and other resources and reduces the financial burden on students leading to a positive impact on student learning and retention.”

“Institutions across the world have added OASIS to their websites and their communities can now search open access materials with ease and speed,” continued Schreiner. “The committee felt the timeliness and depth of the search tool, the willingness of the creators to share it with other institutions around the world, and the financial impact it has on students all over the world, make it a clear winner for this year’s award.”

Jones received his M.L.S. from the University of Buffalo and his M.Ed. in Reading and Literacy from SUNY-Geneseo. Rawlins received his M.S.L.S. from the University of Kentucky and his M.A. in History from Marshall University. The SUNY-Geneseo Milne Library was also the recipient of the 2018 ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries Award in the college category.

For more information regarding the ACRL CLS Innovation in College Librarianship Award, or a complete list of past recipients, please visit the of the ACRL website.

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About ACRL

The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) is the higher education association for academic libraries and library workers. Representing more than 10,000 individuals and libraries, ACRL (a division of the 91´«Ã½) develops programs, products, and services to help those working in academic and research libraries learn, innovate, and lead within the academic community. Founded in 1940, ACRL is committed to advancing learning and transforming scholarship. Find ACRL on the , , , , and .

About SCELC

SCELC (Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation, brings together independent nonprofit academic and research institutions to foster innovation and collaboration in the acquisition and effective use of library resources and services. SCELC was established in 1986 to develop resource-sharing among the libraries of private academic institutions in Southern California. SCELC has evolved to include all of California plus members in Texas, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii, as well as many affiliate libraries located in 39 states. Among the top five North American consortia in terms of licensing volume, SCELC represents 112 member institutions, 219 affiliate institutions, an aggregate student population of approximately 500,000, more than $200 million in library budgets, and holdings comprising more than 21 million volumes. SCELC libraries can choose from nearly 2,500 electronic resources through 100 vendors. SCELC also provides member libraries a number of additional benefits, including programs in shared print, resource sharing, grants and scholarships, and more.