The Ross Atkinson Lifetime Achievement Award will not be presented in 2021. Please visit the Core Awards & Scholarships page for information on the Core awards that will be presented for 2020-2021.
Purpose
This award honors the legacy of Ross Atkinson, distinguished library leader, author, and scholar, whose extraordinary service to ALCTS and the library community at-large serves as a model for those who follow.
The award is given to recognize the contribution of a library leader through demonstrated exceptional service to ALCTS and its areas of interest (acquisitions, cataloging and metadata, collection management, continuing resources, and preservation and reformatting).
Criteria
Nominees must be ALCTS members. Criteria for selection of the winner will include:
- Recognized leadership and service in ALCTS;
- Exemplary contributions to the profession in areas of particular interest to ALCTS;
- Significant contribution to professional literature in areas of particular interest to ALCTS;
- Outstanding record of grants and/or research in areas of particular interest to ALCTS;
- Recognition of achievements, i.e., awards, citations, etc., including other ALCTS awards, citations, etc.;
- Recognized leadership and service in institutions, organizations, and professional associations at local, state, regional, or national level.
Submission
Nominations shall include:
- the name, address, telephone number and e-mail address of nominee and nominator;
- a letter of nomination not to exceed three pages, with a rationale for the nomination that addresses each of the criteria for the award;
- a current, complete curriculum vita of the nominee;
- three to five letters of support, not to exceed two pages each, providing additional evidence in support of the nomination. Letters need only address the nominee's achievements in those award criteria with which the letters' writers are familiar.
Nominations for persons not selected for the award in any given year may be reconsidered in subsequent years provided the person still meets the award criteria above and upon re-nomination with an updated portfolio as necessary.
The size of the portfolio received in support of the nominee shall not be the determining factor in the selection process; rather, the evidence presented in support of the person's accomplishments is what shall be considered.
Award
The award, sponsored by EBSCO, consists of $3,000 and a citation, given annually to one person. If a suitable candidate is not found in any given year, the award will not be presented that year.
Presentation
The recipient will be notified no later than March 1 and an announcement will be made via press release from ALCTS.
The award is formally presented at the ALCTS Awards Ceremony during the ALA Annual Conference.
Award Jury
The Ross Atkinson Lifetime Achievement Award will not be presented in 2021. Please visit the Core Awards & Scholarships page for information on the Core awards that will be presented for 2020-2021.
Award Recipients
| Year | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Magda El-Sherbini |
| 2019 | Stephen Bosch |
| 2018 | Mary Case |
| 2017 | Jeanne Drewes |
| 2016 | Janet Swan Hill |
| 2015 | Carlen Ruschoff |
| 2014 | Olivia M. A. Madison |
| 2013 | Barbara B. Tillett |
| 2012 | Pamela Bluh |
| 2011 | Jan Merrill-Oldham |
| 2010 | Peggy Johnson |
| 2009 | Cindy Hepfer |
| 2008 | Carol Pitts Diedrichs |
| 2007 | Brian E. C. Schottlaender |