Network Bulletin  No.: 06-44

      		Date: December 1, 2006

     		Subject:   Awards                             
             	Index term:  Network Library Awards

            

            NLS is pleased to announce that it will offer the 2006 Network Library of the Year
            Award in two categories:  regional library and subregional library.  At a ceremony
            scheduled for April 17, 2007, these two awards will recognize special achievement   in
            2006.  This is the call for nominations for these awards.  

            Schedule:
            January 2 through February 2, 2007:  Nominations accepted
            February 12 through March 4, 2007:  Nominations reviewed
            April 17, 2007:  Award ceremony at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.  

            Eligibility:  Only NLS network regional and subregional libraries may be nominated for
            the awards.

            Purpose of award:  The awards commend excellence, innovation, and special
            achievement in providing library service to blind and physically handicapped
            individuals in a calendar year.

            Awards:  Each award includes $1,000, a plaque and a certificate for the network
            library, and a copy of the plaque and certificate for the administering agency.  A
            separate plaque recognizing the recipients will be displayed at NLS.

            Presentation:  The award will be presented at a luncheon at the Library of Congress in
            Washington, D.C., on April 17, 2007.  This special event for the network libraries and
            their administering agencies will be covered in NLS News, in Library of Congress
            publications, and in a national news release.  NLS will cover travel costs to the
            ceremony for a representative of each network library and a representative of their
            administering agencies.

     




                                        
            Selection criteria:  
            Nominees will be selected according to the following criteria:

            __ Mission support: The extent to which the library reached or
	    exceeded the ALA
            Revised Standards and Guidelines of Service; 
            
           __ Creativity and innovation:  the extent to which the library
	   developed new patron services or marketed existing services in an exceptional manner;
            
            __ Patron satisfaction:  the extent to which the library met the needs of 
           its patrons  during the year.

            Nomination process:  Libraries must be nominated by a patron, staff, or manager of     
            a network library, or by a member of its administering agency.  Submissions must
            explain how the nominee meets the appropriate criteria, citing specific examples and
            providing any supporting statistics for 2006.  Nominations must not exceed one page
            (250 words) for each criterion.  Up to three supporting documents, such as newspaper
            articles, reports, statistics, and other commendations, may be included.  Submissions
            must be in an accessible format and include supporting statements for each criterion.

            Deadline:  All nominations must be received by NLS no later than February 2, 2007. 

            Submission:  Nomination forms are attached and may be downloaded at:
            www.loc.gov/nls/networkdocs/nomination.pdf

            Send the nomination form with supporting documentation to ensure arrival at NLS by  
            the deadline.  Nomination documentation must be in accessible electronic format for
            subsequent distribution through the Internet so that review panel members who are blind
            can access them.  Send all nominations by e-mail to__ [log in to unmask] or expedited delivery
            service (FedEx or UPS) to the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
            Handicapped (NLS/BPH), Library of Congress, 1291 Taylor Street N.W., Washington,
            D.C. 20542-4960, Attn:  Chief, Network Division.  Do not send nominations by the U.S.
            Postal Service.  If your submission has not been confirmed by February 9, please contact
            Carolyn Hoover Sung at (202) 707-9300.

            Selection process:  The nominations will be reviewed by a committee consisting of seven
            members:  the chair, the chief of the NLS Network Division, who will be a nonvoting
            member; one representative from each of the three consumer groups (American Council of
            the Blind, Blinded Veterans Association, and National Federation of the Blind); two
            representatives from public libraries (to be selected by the chair); and one representative
            from the North America/Caribbean Region of the World Blind Union.  The committee will
            review the nominations and submit a list of finalists to the NLS director and the four
            network regional conference chairs, who will make the final selections. 

            For more information contact:    
            
            Carolyn Hoover Sung 
            Chief, Network Division 
            [log in to unmask] 

            [Attachment: This bulletin contained a print attachment when mailed to the network
            on December 1, 2006.]