ACRL/NY Innovation in Librarianship Award

This award recognizes individuals or teams who demonstrate innovative approaches to academic and research library services, programs, or operations. Innovation should support one or more areas of the ACRL Plan for Excellence: library value, student learning, research and scholarly environments, new roles and changing landscapes, and equity, diversity, and inclusion. Innovation may take many forms and is not limited to technology for this award.

Award

The award recipient or team will receive a certificate and a $500 award, presented at the Annual Symposium, as well as recognition on the ACRL/NY website through a video feature. The award is administered by the Awards Advisory Board of the ACRL/NY Professional Development Committee.

Eligibility

Nominees must currently work, or have worked within the past year, in an academic or research library in the Greater New York Metropolitan area. Individual librarians and teams are eligible to be nominated.

The Greater New York Metropolitan area for the ACRL/NY includes:

• New York City’s five boroughs
• Nassau and Suffolk Counties
• Westchester County
• Counties in the Lower Hudson Valley

Nominees must be members of ACRL/NY by the nomination deadline. Self-nominations are welcome.

Nomination Criteria

Nominees must demonstrate meaningful advancement in one or more areas of the ACRL Plan for Excellence:

• Library Value: Demonstrates and communicates the value and impact of academic and research libraries.
• Student/Users Learning: Advances student learning, success, engagement, or educational and research outcomes through library services or initiatives.
• Research and Scholarly Environments: Strengthens research, scholarship, discovery, or scholarly communication.
• New Roles, Changing Landscapes and Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion: Responds to emerging roles and changing needs while advancing equitable, diverse, and inclusive library environments and services.

Submissions

Nominations must be submitted electronically through the online submission form by November 1, 2026. Self-nominations are welcome.

Each nomination must include:

• A clear description of the innovation, limited to 2 pages, addressing its alignment with the ACRL Plan for Excellence, potential benefits to libraries or library workforce, and demonstrated impact through outcomes, assessments, or relevant metrics.
• The nominee’s current curriculum vitae (CV).
• One letter of support from a professional familiar with the nominee’s work or team’s work.

Submissions will be reviewed using this rubric

Submit your nomination here: https://acrlny.org/event-6860240