Please complete the form to nominate an individual or organization for one of the active AzLA Service Awards.  Please note: Each nomination will require a separate form. Deadline for nominations is September 6, 2022.

Please provide the following information for the individual or organization you wish to nominate.

Please provide your information for our records.

Please choose the award you would like to nominate the individual or organization for from the selections below.

Presented to an active or retired library administrator or manager (director, manager, adult services supervisor or similar position) with an MLS.

Criteria include significant accomplishments and leadership over the past THREE years in Arizona, in several of the following areas:

• Promoting libraries/library service in Arizona
• Legislative activity and support
• Mentoring–own institution, statewide, or regionally
• Staff development–own institution, statewide, or regionally
• Professional publications
• Contributions to the future of the profession
• Raising the profile of the profession
• Raising the profile of the library–in their own institution or libraries in Arizona
• Significant participation in a special project relating to libraries or library service

This award differs from the Rosenzweig Award in the length of service considered, the area of effectiveness–it can be limited to the person’s institution, rather than to the region.

The AzLA School Librarian of the Year Award is presented to an individual who serves as a model for implementing the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) National Standards. The nominee must be a certified teacher-librarian in Arizona who demonstrates notable or outstanding performance in the areas of collaboration with classroom teachers, educational leadership, technology, and advocacy for school libraries. The winner will receive a 1-year free AzLA membership. 

Presented to an active or retired layperson or librarian. Emphasis is placed on effectiveness regionally or statewide, rather than limited to the institution where the individual worked. Current membership in AzLA is required. Sponsored by Newton & Betty Rosenzweig. 

Criteria include significant accomplishments and leadership over the past TEN years in Arizona, in several of the following areas:

• Promotion of libraries and library services in Arizona
• Active support of AzLA
• Legislative activity and support
• Mentoring / Staff development
• Professional publications
• Contributions to the future of librarianship and information science as a profession
• Raising the profile of work in libraries
• Raising the profile of the library in Arizona
• Significant participation in a special project relating to libraries or library service

This award differs from the Library Leadership Award in the length of time the individual served the Arizona library community, the effect of the accomplishments throughout the state, and that the individual is not required to have an MLS. 

This award is presented to an individual currently working in libraries, with or without an MLS, who has professional responsibilities to the end user in areas like reference, programming, cataloging, bibliographic or database instruction, collection development, or a combination of these and other professional responsibilities. This award is intended for those who serve primarily adults or college age students.  Service during the past ONE TO THREE years should be considered. Emphasis will be placed on activities that go beyond the standard requirements of good library service.

Criteria include one or several of the following:

• Service or project effectiveness beyond own institution
• Potential impact or benefit to other libraries
• Benefit to local community
• Accomplishment as potential model for other libraries of similar size
• Nominee’s investment of personal time
• Limitation of resources (staff, time, funds)

Intended to give equal opportunity to people who provide service directly to patrons or who may have limited resources or clerical assistance and who serve primarily adults and college age students.

This award is open to any person working in a library who shows exceptional promise as a leader in the field.  The purpose of the award is to recognize individuals with strong leadership potential in order to encourage them to take on roles of increasing responsibility in library work.  Membership in AzLA is not required. Two full years of full-time library service in Arizona prior to nomination and no more than five years work history is required.

Criteria for the award include one or more of the following:

• Creation of innovative programs or services
• Creating a positive vision, communicating it to others, and inspiring and guiding others to achieve it 
• Making exceptional use of local, state, or national library resources including grants 
• Actively participating in professional library organizations on a local, state or national level

Presented to an individual who symbolizes the important role that the paraprofessional plays in providing quality library service and who has exemplified the integral part that the paraprofessional performs as a library staff member. Participation in other noteworthy community activities will also be considered. The winner will receive a 1-year free AzLA membership. 

Nominees will be judged on the basis of:

• Demonstrated on-the-job excellence, as noted by their supervisors
• Support and enhancement of the services of the library where they work
• Evidence of interest in continuing education and other learning opportunities
• Service to AzLA and other library organizations

Sponsored by the Little Chapel of All Nations in Tucson, this recognition includes a monetary award to the library, librarian, or library related group or person who provides exemplary library outreach services to under served or minority populations.  Membership in AzLA is not required, nor is an MLS required.

This award is given in recognition of an Arizona decision-maker exhibiting significant support for librarians and libraries. This person is an administrator (city, county, academic, school) or elected/appointed official (city council, board of supervisors, school board) who has made a difference for libraries. This person’s demonstrated support may be a critical issue (intellectual freedom, fiscal advocacy, development or a new program, etc.) or continuous support over a period of time.

The AzLA Outstanding Youth Services Librarian Award recognizes an individual who serves as a model for the important role Youth Services plays in public libraries. Nominees may be children’s, young adult, or youth services librarians, or other librarians who serve youth in those capacities, in any Arizona public library. Nominees will demonstrate notable and outstanding performance in producing, developing and promoting programs, services, collections, and reading activities for children and/or teenagers in their libraries and communities. 

Given to a library board or equivalent management/advocacy group under whose guidance a library or group of libraries has been substantially improved. The board’s policies, its success in promoting library service to and for its constituency, and its relationship to the community are taken into consideration.

This award is open to any individual or group serving in a volunteer capacity in any library.  Nominees should exemplify exceptional library service.  Emphasis will be placed on activities that go beyond the standard requirements of good library service and the nominee’s investment of personal time.

Please use the following areas to provide supporting materials to demonstrate the accomplishments of the nominee.