September 2015 441 C&RL News Earlier this year, ACRL celebrated its 75th anniversary of advancing learning and transforming scholarship in the higher education community. A major part of this celebration included honoring the outstand- ing achievements of academic and research librarians across North America. From a team that created a repository of instructional vid- eos to help patrons use library resources; to the inspiring commitment to women’s studies a librarian has shown throughout her career; to a community college library that has built an information literacy initiative focused on flipped instruction, virtual learning for distance students, and financial literacy; the innovations of our community have continued to demonstrate the notable impact librarian- ship has in the academic landscape. Made possible by generous corporate support, the annual presentation of our prestigious awards, grants, and fellowships to these and other deserving individuals and institutions enables ACRL to honor the very best in academic librarianship. This year, ACRL once again seeks to celebrate and recognize the accomplishments of our peers. ACRL members are an integral part of our successful awards program. Please consider acknowledging those who have influenced your thinking, your practice, and your growth as an academic or research librarian. We urge you to nominate colleagues whose work you admire, and whose contributions merit recognition by the profession. Your nomina- tions will ensure that the pool of candidates for each award remains both competitive and distinguished. Complete information about the ACRL awards program, including nomination pro- cedures, past winners, criteria and contacts, is available in the “Awards & Scholarships” section of the ACRL website at www.acrl.org. December 4, 2015, is the deadline for most of the awards to be presented in 2016. A brief description of each award is listed below. Achievement and distinguished service awards • Excellence in Academic Libraries Award (sponsored by YBP Library Services): $3,000 for each type of library award (college, community college, and university). Recog- nizes academic libraries that are outstanding in furthering the educational missions of their institutions. • Academic/Research Librarian of the Year Award (sponsored by YBP Library Services): $5,000 award. Recognizes an out- standing member of the academic or research library profession. • Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award (sponsored by ACRL, Association for Library Collections and Technical Services, Library Leadership and Management Association, and Library and Information Technology As- sociation: cash award. Recognizes outstanding achievements (including risk-taking) in the areas of library automation, management, or development and research. Chase Ollis is ACRL program coordinator, email: collis@ ala.org © 2015 Chase Ollis Chase Ollis ACRL’s 2016 Awards Program Honoring outstanding achievements in academic librarianship C&RL News September 2015 442 • Law and Political Science Section Marta Lange/SAGE-CQ Press Award (sponsored by SAGE-CQ Press): $1,000 award. Recognizes a librarian who has made distinguished contribu- tions to bibliography and information service in law or political science. • M i r i a m Dudley Instruc- tion Librarian Award (ACRL In- struction Section): $1,000 award. Recognizes an in- dividual librarian for signifi cant con- tributions to the advancement of instruction in a col- lege or research li- brary environment. • I n s t r u c - tion Section In- novation Award (sponsor pend- ing): honors li- b r a r i a n s w h o have implemented innovative approaches to information literacy at their respective in- stitutions or in their communities. Deadline: November 30, 2015. • College Libraries Section Innovation in College Librarianship Award (sponsor pending): honors librarians who demonstrate a capacity for inno- vation in working with or serving undergraduates or instructors in the areas of pro- grams, services, and operations; or creating inno- vations for library colleagues that facilitate their ability to better serve the library’s community. • Commu- n i t y C o l l e g e Lear ning Re- sources Lead- ership/Library Achievement Awards (spon- sored by EBSCO Information Services): $750 for each of two awards recognizing outstanding achievement in library programs or leadership. • Routledge Distance Learning Librari- anship Conference Sponsorship Award (sponsored by Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group): $1,200 conference sponsorship award to honor any individual ACRL member working in the fi eld of, or contributing to the success of, distance learning librarianship or related library service in higher education. • Distinguished Education and Behav- ioral Sciences Librarian Award (sponsor pending): honors outstanding contributions to education and behavioral sciences librarianship through accomplishments and service to the profession. • Women & Gender Studies Section Award for Career Achievement (sponsor pending): recognizes career achievement in the area of women and gender studies librarianship. New ULS Outstanding Professional Development Award ACRL is proud to announce a new addition to our lineup of prestigious awards. The ULS Outstanding Professional Develop- ment Award was approved by the ACRL Board of Directors and the ALA Awards Committee at the 2015 ALA Annual Con- ference in San Francisco. Sponsored by Library Juice Academy, the $1,000 award recognizes an individual or group for the development and provision of high-quality professional development opportunities for librarians and library staff. More infor- mation about the ULS Outstanding Profes- sional Development Award can be found on the “Awards & Scholarships” section of the ACRL website at www.acrl.org. From left to right: 2014-15 ACRL President Karen Williams; Robert A. Seal, 2015 ACRL Academic/Research Librarian of the Year; Mary Ellen Davis, ACRL executive director. September 2015 443 C&RL News • Women & Gender Studies Section Award for Signifi cant Achievement (spon- sor pending): honors a distinguished academic librarian who has made outstanding contribu- tions to women and gender studies through accomplishments and service to the profession. • University Libraries Section Outstand- ing Professional Development Award (spon- sored by Library Juice Academy): $1,000 award to recognize librarians, archivists, or curators whose contributions to providing professional development opportunities for librarians have been especially noteworthy or infl uential. Research awards and grants • WESS-SEES De Gruyter European Li- brarianship Study Grant (sponsored by the Walter de Gruyter Foundation for Scholarship and Research): €2,500 grant supporting research in European studies with an emphasis on librari- anship, the book trade, resource documentation, and similar information-science related topics. Publications • Katharine Kyes Leab and Daniel J. Leab Exhibition Catalogue Awards (sponsored by Katharine Kyes Leab and Daniel J. Leab, American Book Prices Current): Recognizes outstanding catalogs published by American or Canadian institutions in conjunction with library exhibitions. Deadline: October 15, 2015. • Ilene F. Rockman Instruction Publica- tion of the Year Award (sponsored by Emerald Group Publishing Limited): $3,000 to recognize an outstanding publication related to instruction in a library environment published in the last two years. Deadline: November 30, 2015. • Science and Technology Section Oberly Award for Bibliography in the Ag- ricultural or Natural Sciences: This biennial award is given in odd-numbered years for the best English-language bibliography in the fi eld of agriculture or a related science. If you would like more information about the ACRL 2016 Awards Program, visit the “Awards & Scholarships” section of our web- site at www.acrl.org or contact ACRL Program Coordinator Chase Ollis at collis@ala.org. We welcome your nominations and look forward to celebrating achievements in aca- demic librarianship in 2016. DIFFICULT DECISIONS: Closing and Merging Academic Libraries edited by Sara Holder and Amber Butler Lannon This publication explores the aspects of library consolidation through commentary, research, and case studies written by librarians with experience navigating these events. Individual chapters address either the entire process of a consolidation or closure, multiple aspects of one or more experiences, or one aspect that is particularly important such as communicating with faculty or using data to make decisions about collections. Difficult Decisions: Closing And Merging Academic Libraries is a comprehensive resource for library administrators faced with making these decisions, librarians asked to assist with these challenging projects, and anyone working in a library undergoing a merger. ISBN: 978-0-8389-8791-9 Association of College & Research Libraries 50 E. Huron, Chicago IL 60611 | 1.800.545.2433 | acrl @ala.org http://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/catalog FROM ACRL NEW