Doing Great RA In Illinois? We Want You To Win An Award

In a few hours the ARRT Steering Committee is having our regular, bi-monthly meeting.

One of the biggest things we are working on right now is promoting the call for nominations for our brand new Illinois Library Association award specifically honoring excellence in the planning, development and delivery of RA service to adults and teens. You can nominate, individuals, departments, teams, or libraries as long as they are members of ILA.

One key question that arose through this process...Does the nominator have to be a member of ILA? The answer is no; just the nominee.

We are very excited to present and sponsor this award. We worked on crafting it and have committed to provide the cash award for at least 3 years.

But to make it a true success we would love to have a large pool of nominations to choose from. I know that we have some already, but the more the merrier! From ARRT’s standpoint, the more great RA work we know that is happening throughout the state, the better programming and support we can provide to all.

You still have 8 days to submit a nomination-- May 15th.  Here is the direct link to the award with directions on submitting nominations.  I have also reposted the text below.

Good luck. I can’t wait to go through all the nominations in June to see what a great job my colleagues are doing out there in the RA trenches.

Readers’ Advisory Service Award Presented by ILA Reference Services Forum and the Adult Reading Round Table Category This award recognizes excellence in the planning, development and delivery of readers’ advisory service to adults and teens and has been created in accordance with the mission statement of the Adult Reading Round Table: “to promote readers’ advisory skills and reading for pleasure through libraries.” Readers’ advisory is the ability to connect readers with materials that will satisfy their desire for something to read for pleasure. Eligibility The award is offered annually to individual ILA members, ILA member libraries and departments or groups within ILA member institutions. Nominees do not have to be a member of the Reference Services Forum. Applications should be submitted to the ILA awards committee. The recipient will be selected by a subcommittee of the ARRT Steering Committee and Reference Services Forum. The Adult Reading Round Table is committed to promoting the award and soliciting nominations. Criteria  Nominees must demonstrate one or more of the following: Development of specialized or innovative programs or services; Active participation in professional organizations (at the local, state, or national level), including the planning and presentation of programs and/or workshops designed to enhance the quality of readers’ advisory service; Influence and/or cooperation with persons and organizations within the local community to encourage reading and discussion; Publication of books and/or articles that promote high quality readers’ advisory service and offer methods for strengthening readers’ advisory skills; Participation in research projects that contribute to the knowledge and expertise of readers’ advisory practitioners. Award Recipient will receive a certificate and a $200 financial award. Nomination Deadline May 15 Nomination Submissions The nominator’s statement of support should address all criteria under the individual awards as outlined.  Nominator must submit the nomination form and attach all support statements, letters, and documentation, etc. required by the award’s criteria. ILA must receive all nominations by May 15.