Minnesota Academic Innovators Award
It’s not too early to start thinking about nominating the next recipient of the Minnesota Academic Innovators Award!
This award recognizes academic librarians or academic project teams who have made an outstanding recent contribution to advance the mission of an academic library in Minnesota through an innovative project, program or service. (Innovation will be considered very broadly.) The award is sponsored by the MLA Academic & Research Libraries Division (ARLD).
The recipient of the Innovators Award is recognized and presented with a $300 award at ARLD Day.
Past Recipients
| 2012 | Julie Gilbert, Gustavus Adolphus College assistant professor and academic librarian, received the 2012 Academic Innovators Award. Gilbert, in collaboration with political science faculty, developed a weekly library-based lab to the department’s research methods course. Gilbert captured data on student learning to demonstrate that the lab experience significantly improves student learning. Gilbert has created a successful model for any college or university interested in promoting information literacy. Learn more at https://gustavus.edu/library/libdata_pos/page.phtml?page_id=41. |
| 2011 | Lisa R. Johnston, a research services librarian at the University of Minnesota, received the 2011 Academic Innovators Award. Her project, a campus-wide data management program that grew out of her work with the Minnesota Geological Survey and the Universal Digital Conservancy, has become a model for other universities around the country. Johnston’s data-management program for the University of Minnesota can be explored on its website, www.lib.umn.edu/datamanagement. |
Criteria
Projects/programs/services should demonstrate recognized creativity and quality within the context of an academic institution.
Eligibility
Nominees must be employed by or associated with an academic or research library, and/or organization that furthers the mission of academic libraries.
Nomination & Selection Process
Self nominations are accepted. The ARLD Awards committee will receive and evaluate nominations from the ARLD membership. Nominations must include:
- Nomination form (the deadline for 2012 nominations was February 27, 2012)
- Statement, not to exceed 500 words, highlighting the nominee’s innovation
Notification
The award recipient will be notified prior to ARLD Day.
The award recipient will be invited to give a brief presentation on his or her project/program/service at ARLD Day.
Announcements will also be sent to the ALA Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Chapter Topics Newsletter and will be posted on the MLA website and through other internal and external communication.