EMIERT Distinguished Librarian Award

The EMIERT Distinguished Librarian Award recognizes significant accomplishments in library services that are national or international in scope and that include improving, spreading, and promoting multicultural services in libraries. Persons in the library world are eligible to be considered for the award based on outstanding achievement and leadership in serving the community by significant collection building and outreach services, and/or developing creative multicultural materials and programs. The emphasis here is multicultural/multiethnic as distinguished from multilingual. The Award will consist of a certificate and a monetary award to be determined, and will be presented at the ALA Annual Conference during the EMIERT Chair's Program.

Eligibility

  • Nominees must have a Master's of Library Science degree from an ALA-accredited institution.

  • Nominees must be persons in the library world with outstanding achievement and leadership in serving the community by significant collection building and outreach services, and developing creative multicultural materials and programs. The emphasis here is multicultural/multiethnic as distinguished from multilingual (cf. The Leonard Wertheimer Award).

  • Nominees should demonstrate significant accomplishments in library services that are national or international in scope and that include improving, spreading, and promoting multicultural librarianship.

There will be an annual award. If no suitable candidate is judged to merit the award in a given year, the award will not be presented. If two candidates are considered very close in their qualifications, the award will be shared between the two.

Nominations

Self-nominations are accepted.

Submitted materials should include the completed nomination webform and a copy of the nominee's resume or curriculum vitae. Submit a nomination.

The 2023 award application deadline is Friday, January 6, 2023, at 4:00 pm Central time. Deliberations will occur around ALA LibLeanX and the Award will be presented at the 2023 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois. at the EMIERT Chair's Program. If no suitable candidate is judged to merit the award, the award will not be presented. If two candidates are considered very close in their qualifications, the award will be shared between the two. The award consists of a plaque and monetary award.

Founded in 1982, the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) serves as a source of information for recommended ethnic and multilingual collections, services, and programs.

Screening of candidates will be based on submitted application forms that contain a detailed curriculum vitae with specific information and evidence of the candidate's outstanding achievement and leadership. The documentation for each nominee will be sent to the Awards Committee members who will rate the nominations.

Questions?

For assistance, please contact Kevin D. Strowder with the ALA Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services at kstrowder@ala.org.