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NLS Operations Alert

No. 15-06

DATE          :     January 20, 2015
TO                :     Network Libraries
FROM         :     Richard Smith, Chief, Network Division
SUBJECT   :     2014 Library of the Year Award


The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) is calling for nominations for two awards: the 2014 Network Library of the Year and the 2014 Network Subregional Library of the Year.

Purpose of awards
The awards commend excellence, innovation, and special achievement in providing library service to individuals who are blind or have a physical disability in a calendar year.

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

Schedule
January 20-February 20, 2015: Nominations accepted
February 23-March 20, 2015: Nominations considered
June 19, 2015: Ceremony held at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Prizes
Each award recipient will receive $1,000, a plaque, and two copies of the certificate-one for the network library and one for the administering agency. The names of the winners will also be placed on perennial plaques, one of which is displayed at NLS and two which each of the winners keeps for one year.

Selection criteria
Nominations will be evaluated based on 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 member, or a manager of a network library or a member of its administering agency. The nominator must include complete contact information (name, address, phone number, and e-mail address) and a description of his/her relationship to the library. Nominations should contain a separate one- to two-page library profile summarizing highlights, types of services provided, number of patrons served, and other supporting statistics such as factsheets or annual reports. Submissions (not to exceed one page or 250 words) must also explain how the nominee meets each selection criterion, citing specific examples and providing supporting statistics for 2014.

Do not include more than three supporting documents (newspaper articles, reports, statistics, commendations, etc.). Submissions must be in an accessible electronic format so that selection-panel members who are blind can read them. Submissions may be used in future NLS publications for examples of best practices for libraries serving individuals who are blind or have a physical disability.

Deadline
All nominations must be received by NLS no later than Friday, February 20, 2015.

Submission
Nominations sent by e-mail should have as a subject line "Nomination 2014 Library of the Year." Send all nominations by e-mail to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> or by expedited delivery service (FedEx or UPS) to the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress, 1291 Taylor Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20542-4960; Attn: Chief, Network Division. Please do not send nominations through the U.S. Postal Service.

Receipt of nominations will be confirmed to the nominator via e-mail from Stephen Prine. If your submission has not been confirmed by Wednesday, March 4, 2015, please contact Richard Smith at (202) 707-9300.

Selection process
The nominations will be reviewed by a committee consisting of six members: the chief of the NLS Network Division, who serves as chair and a nonvoting member; one representative from each of three consumer groups (American Council of the Blind, Blinded Veterans Association, and National Federation of the Blind); and two representatives from public libraries (to be selected by the chair). 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 recommend the winners.

Presentation
The awards will be presented during a luncheon at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., on Friday, June 19, 2015. This special event honoring the Network Library Award winners and their administering agencies will be announced in a national news release and covered in NLS News and other Library of Congress publications. NLS will cover travel costs to the ceremony for one representative of each winning network library and one representative of its administering agency.

For more information contact:
Richard Smith
Chief, Network Division
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>