Distinguished Alumni Award

I. Recipients

1977: Rebecca Taylor Bingham 1978: William Joseph Studer 1979: Margaret Regina Sheviak 1981: Edward N. Howard 1982: Charles H. Davis 1983: Fred William Hanes 1984: Joyce Ball 1986: Bernard M. Fry 1987: Benjamin F. Speller, Jr. 1988: Debora Shaw 1989: Barbara Fischler 1990: Marian L. Armstrong 1991: Betty C. Martin 1992: David V. Loertscher 1993: D. Peter Hernon 1994: Margaret C. Fung 1995: John V. Richardson, Jr. 1996: David A. Bucove 1996: Richard P. Smiraglia 1997: Sondra Bandy Koontz 1998: Douglas K. Lehman 1999: Lester J. Pourciau, Jr. 2000: Larry L. Hardesty 2001: Gary D. Wiggins 2004: William J. Crowe 2005: Bradley L. Schaffner 2006: James Fish 2007: Merri Beth Lavagnino 2008: Keith Kuhn (posthumous)

Prior to 1996, the award was known as the Louise Maxwell Award.

II. PURPOSE:

The purpose of the Distinguished Alumni Award is to recognize an alumnus/a who is making, or has made, an outstanding contribution to the Library Science/Information Science profession.

For the purpose of judging nominations, an outstanding contribution should include evidence of one or more of the following::

• exceptional skills as information professional.
• noteworthy contributions in Library/Information Science to society at large.
• significant influence on the candidate's place of employment, community, and profession.

III. ELIGIBILITY:

1. Only living alumni of the Indiana University School of Library and Information Science are eligible. For purposes of definition, an alumnus is any person who shall have received at least one degree (MLS, MIS, Ph.D., or Post-Master's Specialist Degree) from the Indiana University School of Library and Information Science or its predecessor.
2. The nominee does not have to be a member of the SLIS Alumni Association.

IV. AWARD:

1. The award shall consist of a certificate presented to the recipient.
2. The recipient's name shall be inscribed on an award plaque that will be displayed in the School.
3. The award will be presented annually at the IU alumni reception during the American Library Association Conference (usually late June).

V. NOMINATIONS:

1. Nominations may be submitted by 1) graduates of any program accredited by the American Library Association, 2) any current or former member of the SLIS faculty, 3) anyone employed at the nominee's current place of employment. Letters of support (see below) may be written by any individual familiar with the work of the nominee.
2. All nominations must include the following:
   • A nomination statement from the person placing the name in nomination, which details the nominee's qualifications as a Distinguished Alumnus.
   • A biographical statement (or résumé), providing basic information such as: name, address, employment history, and all SLIS degrees and dates.
   • The names and address of three (3) individuals who have agreed to submit letters of support (to be received by the deadline date) in favor of the nomination. (Note: these individuals do not need to meet the qualifications of the person placing the name in nomination.)
3. Nominations should be sent to: IU Alumni Association, SLIS Distinguished Alumni Award Nomination, Virgil T. DeVault Alumni Center, 1000 East 17th Street, Bloomington, IN 47408-1521. Nominations may also be submitted by e-mail at: suttonb@indiana.edu
4. All paperwork must be postmarked, or electronically transmitted, by April 1.
5. All nominations for the award shall continue in force for the following two years. After that time, they may be resubmitted.
6. If, in the opinion of either the Selection Committee or the SLIS AA Executive Board, no worthy candidate is nominated in a given year, the Award will not be presented that year.

VI. SELECTION COMMITTEE:

1. The selection committee shall be composed of seven (7) members, six (6) of whom shall be alumni of SLIS, appointed by the president of the SLIS Alumni Association. One (1) of the six alumni shall be the Secretary of the SLIS Alumni Association, while the seventh member shall be a SLIS faculty member appointed by the Dean. The committee shall elect their own chairperson. The membership of the committee shall remain anonymous. An award will only be presented if the committee's decision is by 2/3 majority.
2. The secretary of the SLIS Alumni Association shall serve as an ex-officio, non-voting, member and shall offer assistance in coordinating nominations.
3. It shall be the duty of the selection committee to make the final selection of the award recipient (by 2/3 majority) and to make such recommendation to the Executive Board. The Executive Board will then approve or reject the Committee's recommendation. Approval by the Executive Board must be by 2/3 of the Board Members present.
4. The Indiana University Alumni Association's SLIS representative will coordinate notification and certificate/plaque preparation once a recipient has been selected.

Approved by the SLIS AA Board, 3/18/2000