Worldwide Books Award for Publications

The purpose of the Award for Publications is to recognize outstanding publications by ARLIS/NA Individual members in librarianship or visual resources curatorship, and the arts. By recognizing special achievement in these areas this Award acknowledges and encourages scholarly publication by the ARLIS/NA membership.

Award Application

PAST AWARD RECIPIENTS

Projects Supported

Projects may focus on publications which benefit the profession of art and visual resources librarianship, as well as the broader world of librarianship, through such means as compilation and dissemination of information, translation of original scholarship, analysis of our professions, or the enhancement of access to information. In addition, eligible projects include those which result in original scholarship in the literary, musical, architectural and visual arts and aspects of visual and material culture.

Award Amounts

Recipients may receive awards ranging from a certificate of merit to a cash award of up to $2,000.

Eligibility: Format & Material Types

• All formats are eligible, including print, digital, audio, video, and other formats.
• The following types of material are eligible: monographs, catalogues, journal articles, essays in catalogues or collected works, individual numbers of journals devoted to a special topic, works where nominee(s) are published as either editor or author, or other types of materials which meet the purpose of the award.The following types of materials are NOT eligible: theses, dissertations, annual reports, posters, newsletters, or other types of materials judged by the Sub-Committee not to meet the purpose of the award.
• The following types of materials are NOT eligible: theses, dissertations, annual reports, posters, newsletters, or other types of materials judged by the Sub-Committee not to meet the purpose of the award.

Publication Date

The work must have been published during the 2021 or 2022 calendar year. For the 2023 awards, all calendar year 2021 publications and any 2022 publications whose nominations are postmarked by the December 15, 2023 nomination deadline will be eligible. In the case of continually updated websites, when a new version or update is nominated for the award, the Committee will consider the latest date published on the site as the publication date.

Authorship

This Award is available to ARLIS/NA INDIVIDUAL members only (including special Individual membership categories such as "Honorary", "Student", "Retired", and "Unemployed"). Author(s) must have been an Individual ARLIS/NA member during both the year of publication (2021 or 2022) and the year of nomination (2023).. Membership records held by the ARLIS/NA national headquarters will be consulted in the event of any questions regarding membership.

ELIGIBLE for consideration:

• Group projects undertaken by NOT MORE THAN FOUR AUTHORS are eligible. At least half the participants must meet the above ARLIS/NA membership criteria.
• Individuals may be considered for more than one publication.
• Past recipients of the ARLIS/NA Research Award, the Worldwide Books Awards, and the H. W. Wilson Research Award are eligible.

NOT ELIGIBLE for consideration:

• Institutional members, official groups, Committees, Chapters, Divisions, and Sections of the Society are not eligible to apply for this award.
• Current members of the ARLIS/NA Executive Board and the Research Awards Sub-Committee are not eligible.
• Group projects undertaken by MORE THAN FOUR AUTHORS are not eligible.

Nomination Procedure

Publications to be considered for the award may be nominated by self-nomination, nomination by a colleague, or nomination by the subcommittee. A completed award application (see link above) must accompany each nomination.

If the publication is an article or essay published within a larger work, a copy must be sent to the address listed in the award application. If the publication is a book, an entire issue of a journal, or a disc, etc., a copy should be sent to the address listed in the award application whenever possible. Reviews of nominated items are also welcome if available, and submissions provided electronically for all publication types are greatly appreciated. Where nominators, authors, or publishers are unable to supply the subcommittee with a copy of the publication, the subcommittee will consult the publication, as available, in library collections. Hard copies of materials will be returned if accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed return mailer.

Application Schedule

The application deadline is Friday, December 15, 2023. 

Application Review Process

The Research Committee will review and judge applications based on several factors, including:

1. Overall contribution to the field.
2. Originality of scholarship.
3. Effective presentation of material.
4. Quality of writing.
5. Appropriateness of format for the highest potential utilization of the material.

When works are judged to be of equal merit, preference may be given to applicants who have not previously received an award.

Contact the Chair, ARLIS/NA Research Awards Subcommittee for questions.