CHICAGO - For more than three-quarters of a century, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has been committed to celebrating the achievements of academic and research librarians through the presentation of awards, grants and fellowships. With almost $35,000 donated annually by corporate sponsors, ACRL has, and will continue to, nominate, select and honor the very best in academic librarianship.

Members are an integral part of ACRL’s successful . ACRL urges members to nominate colleagues whose work has influenced their thinking and growth as an academic librarian and whose contributions merit recognition by the profession. Member nominations will ensure that the pool of candidates for each award remains both competitive and distinguished. Nominations and supporting materials for most awards must be submitted by Dec. 2, 2011.

Outstanding achievement and distinguished service awards are:

• Excellence in Academic Libraries Award (sponsored by YBP Library Services) recognizes academic libraries that are outstanding in furthering the educational missions of their institutions. A $3,000 award is given for each type of library (e.g. college, community college and university).
• Academic/Research Librarian of the Year Award (sponsored by YBP Library Services) awards $5,000 and recognizes an outstanding member of the academic or research library profession.
• Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award (sponsored by ACRL, ALCTS, LLAMA and LITA), provides a cash award and recognizes outstanding achievements (including risk-taking) in the areas of library automation, management, development and research.
• Law and Political Science Section Marta Lange/CQ Press Award (sponsored by CQ Press), provides a $1,000 award and recognizes a librarian who has made distinguished contributions to bibliography and information service in law or political science.
• Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian Award (sponsor pending) recognizes and awards an individual librarian for significant contributions to the advancement of instruction in a college or research library environment.
• Instruction Section Innovation Award (sponsored by ProQuest), honors librarians who have implemented innovative approaches to information literacy at their respective institutions or in their communities. The winners will share a $3,000 award.
• College Libraries Section ProQuest Innovation in College Librarianship Award (sponsored by ProQuest), $3,000 award for librarians who demonstrate a capacity for innovation in working with or serving undergraduates or instructors in the areas of programs, services and operations; or creating innovations for library colleagues that facilitate their ability to better serve the library’s community.
• Community College Learning Resources Leadership/Library Achievement Awards (sponsored by EBSCO Information Services), recognizes outstanding achievement in library programs and leadership. The awards will be presented to two recipients, who will each receive $500.
• Routledge Distance Learning Librarianship Conference Sponsorship Award (sponsored by Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group), provides a $1,200 conference sponsorship award to honor any individual ACRL member working in the field of, or contributing to the success of, distance learning librarianship or related library service in higher education.
• Distinguished Education and Behavioral Sciences Librarian Award (sponsored by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.), honors and awards $2,500 to an individual librarian for outstanding contributions to education and behavioral sciences librarianship through accomplishments and service to the profession.
• Innovation in Science and Technology Librarianship Award (sponsored by IEEE), awards $3,000 in recognition of creative, innovative approaches to solving problems or improving products and services in science and technology librarianship.
• Women and Gender Studies Section Award for Career Achievement (sponsor pending), awards an individual librarian for career achievement in the area of women’s studies and gender studies librarianship.
• Women and Gender Studies Section Award for Significant Achievement (sponsor pending), honors a distinguished academic librarian who has made outstanding contributions to women’s studies through accomplishments and service to the profession.