AkLA Handbook Section VI:3
Awards

Updated: Monday, 07-Apr-2008 16:38:48 MDT

• Section IV: 3 Awards of AkLA
• AkLA Conference Attendance Award
• AkLA Continuing Education Fund Grant
• AkLA Book Bonanza
• AkLA Library Advocacy Award
• Alaskana Award
• Audrey P. Kolb Public Library Service Award & the Public Library Roundtable Certificate of Appreciation
• AkLA Honorary Membership
• Back to the Handbook

Section IV:3 Awards

The form and frequency of the awards vary.   Some will have minor budgetary requirements (Certificates), others require complex budgetary procedures, often tied to dedicated funds (The AkLA Scholarship Fund). [Use and division of AkLA Auction Funds August 2002]

AkLA Conference Attendance Award

Recipients of the grants also have their conference registration fees waived. <link> to Policy 15

The application form is available on the AkLA Website.   <Link>

1. Applicants must be current individual members of AkLA
2. You must be a library staff member, volunteer or board member/trustee.  
3. Applicants should include a brief budget statement of how the funds would be used.
4. Applicants should state how attendance at conference will enhance their education or library responsibilities.  A note about career plans or future training and education plans is appreciated.

1. The recipient will attend three days of the conference.
2. The recipient will receive the grant check at an awards function during conference.
3. The recipient will keep a daily log or diary about the sessions attended
   .
4. The recipient will write a one a one page summary about their reactions to the conference for publication in Newspoke.

Selection of Award Recipient(s)

Calendar

September

The Chair of the Continuing Education Committee requests that money be budgeted for the AkLA Conference Attendance Award at the fall face-to-face fall meeting.

October

The State Library Continuing Education Coordinator posts an announcement of the availability of the AkLA Conference Attendance Award on the AkLA Listserv.

January

March

At conference the Awards committee members will meet with recipient(s); the grant check will be presented at an awards function.

<link>List of AkLA Conference Attendance Award Recipients - 1977 - to date

AkLA Continuing Education Fund Grant

  Approved by AkLA Executive Council January 2001

Purpose

1. To provide more scholarships for travel to AkLA for library personnel in rural Alaska or urban situations where there is no money in the institution to support continuing education for staff.
2. To provide seed money for continuing education opportunities and perhaps later to fund programs.

3. To provide support to encourage leadership development.
4. To provide other special continuing education opportunities that might benefit all AkLA members e.g., traveling workshops, web resource development, statewide continuing education opportunities.
   The Continuing   Education Committee is currently working on developing   procedures and forms for this grant fund.

AkASL Book Bonanza Award

Purpose:

AKASL believes this valuable collection development program provides an excellent way to empower librarians and schools to choose the books they need for their libraries.

AkASL, with donations from generous people/organizations, will offer book credits for new books to the libraries that demonstrate the greatest need through an essay entitled “How new books will make a difference to kids in my library.”

Applicants should address why new books for children and/or young adults are needed in their institution and their community and how the new titles will better help them serve young people.

Criteria:

Each application will be judged by a committee from AkASL. The judges will be looking for the degree of need in the library and in the community, the characteristics of the library population, the average age of the existing library collection, the clarity and effectiveness of the statement and the potential for improvement of service to library users.

1. Applicants or their institution must be a member of the Alaska Association of School Librarians (AkASL) and/or the Alaska Library Association (AkLA).
2. Essays must be no more than three double-spaced typed pages and accompanied by an entry form (available at the AkASL website). Entry form rtf or PDF formats
3. All applications must be postmarked by April 30, 2008. Send typed the essay with an entry form to:
   Sue Sherif, Alaska State Library
   344 West Third Avenue, Suite 125
   Anchorage, AK 99501   (907) 269-6580 (fax)
4. The winner will be announced in September, 2008.
5. Prizes will be credits or books from Alaska bookstores.
6. Questions? Call or e-mail Sue at
   (907) 269-6569
   (907) 269-6580 (fax)
   (800) 776-6566
   E-mail:  sue.sherif@alaska.gov

AkLA Library Advocacy Award

This award is intended to recognize local and statewide library supporters.   The award honors advocates outside the library profession and excludes practicing librarians.   Nominees may include, but are not limited to, volunteers, library board members, government officials, legislators, school and university personnel, Friends of Libraries, and philanthropists.   This award provides the opportunity to offer statewide recognition of efforts on the local level. It also recognizes Statewide advocacy efforts..

Criteria to consider:

1. Evidence of a long term commitment to libraries.
2. Efforts extending beyond personal interest to broader public advocacy.
3. Advocacy has produced tangible results.

The Library Advocacy Award is presented during the annual conference of the Alaska Library Association.   It is not necessarily awarded on an annual basis.

This award began with proceeds of the 2000 conference auction.   The fund is capped at $2000 and replenished from future auction proceeds as needed.

Nominations will be solicited by the Past President, as Awards Chair. It is possible to have two recipients in a year, one from the conference host location, and the other from a locale anywhere in Alaska.     Nominations will be presented to the Executive Council prior to January, with final approval by Executive Council scheduled for the January teleconference.

The award will include travel costs and per diem to the annual conference for recipients residing outside the host community.

Awards benefits for all recipients will include a framed certificate and a gift valued at approximately $100.  

Alaskana Award

History and Criteria:

The Alaskana award is handled by the Ad Hoc Alaskana Working Group made up of librarians statewide specializing in Alaskana.

Procedure and Calendar

Chair of Working Group sends notice to all Alaska librarians on the AkLA listserv asking for nominations.   Included in the notice are:

1. Criteria as described above.
2. Information to include in the nomination:

a. Author, title, place of publication, publisher, and date of publication,
b.   Full description of the work being nominated,
c.   Statement of the overall impact of the publication,
d.   Supporting documentation for this nomination should include critical testimony, such as published reviews or specially written letters that evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the nomination which will aid the review process.      
3. Deadline for nominations to be received and to whom they should be sent. Usually give three to four weeks for the nominations to be submitted.

February
In early February the chair or designee sends all nominations to the Alaskana Working Group members for their vote.   Alaskana Working Group members are also encouraged to make nominations.   If no nominations are received from the general membership, the Working Group members will nominate.  

If the Working Group feels there were no outstanding Alaskana works that year the award will not be given. In mid-February, after selection of the award title, the Chair notifies the AkLA Past President of the name, and contact address of the author.

The AkLA Past President will draft a letter for the AkLA President’s signature notifying the award recipient and issuing an invitation to come to conference to accept the award. AkLA does not provide travel expenses for this award.

The AkLA Past President will have the award certificate made up and framed.   A copy of the certificate should be   sent to the Chair of the Ad Hoc Alaskana Working Group for inclusion in the AkLA Archives.

Text of the certificate should read:

THE (YEAR DATE) ALASKANA AWARD

is presented to

By The Alaska Library Association March (Year)

The award is presented at the AkLA conference at an appropriate time determined by the conference planners.

<link>List of Alaskana Award Recipients and their works - 1994 - to date

The Audrey P. Kolb Public Library Service Award and the Public Library Roundtable Certificate of Appreciation

History:
The Public Library Roundtable Recognition Award was established in 1991 to give statewide recognition to librarians, volunteers, library advocates and library board members for significant, innovative activities that improve the library in their town or libraries throughout the state.

The award was renamed in 1992 after the first recipient, Audrey P. Kolb, in honor of her outstanding contribution to public libraries in Alaska.

Applications:
The Chair of the Public Library Roundtable shall solicit nominations for this award on the AkLA Listserv.

The announcement will include a brief description of the award, eligibility requirements, deadline date and instructions for obtaining the nomination form.

In the application documentation may include letters of support from board members, library users, staff, volunteers and other librarians.

The Public Library Roundtable Ad Hoc Awards Committee may also award the Public Library Roundtable Certificate of Appreciation from this same pool of nominations.

Certificate awards do not need to be endorsed by the AkLA Executive Council.

The Committee Chair will forward the award information to the Awards Committee Chair by mid-February.

The award will be presented at the AkLA Annual Conference.

<link>List of Audrey P. Kolb Public Library Service Award recipients - 1992 -

<link>List of the Public Library Roundtable Certificate of Appreciation -1994 -

AkLA Honorary Membership

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