Awards Committee

Chair: Past President

Terms of Reference:

Reporting Structure & Membership:

Duties & Responsibilities:

Guidelines for the ACMLA Honours Award

  1. The Honours Award shall consist of a framed certificate issued by ACMLA.
  2. This award is to be made during the annual conference.
  3. The award will not necessarily be issued every year.
  4. A call for nominations shall be made in two issues of the ACMLA Bulletin during the year.
  5. Nominations may be made by any individual member, including members of the Awards Committee itself.
  6. The recipient shall be an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of map librarianship or curatorship or archiveship.
  7. The recipient's contribution may be either for a specific activity or for general services and contributions such as continued membership in the Association with active participation either as an executive officer, committee chairperson or committee member.
  8. While membership in ACMLA shall normally be a prerequisite, that shall not preclude consideration of outstanding non-members.
  9. An award shall preferably be awarded to a person while still active in the field, rather than at an early stage or post-retirement.
  10. Probable attendance at the annual conference should be considered, but should not be the deciding factor.
  11. To facilitate and encourage the recipient's attendance at the conference, he/she should be informed of the pending award.
  12. The Awards Committee, having considered all nominations for an award, shall come to a unanimous agreement on the choice of a recipient.
  13. The Awards Committee shall forward their decision to the Executive of the ACMLA for their approval one month prior to the annual conference.

Guidelines for the ACMLA Cathy Moulder Paper Award

  1. The Cathy Moulder Paper Award will consist of a monetary award of $200.00.
  2. This award is to be presented during the annual conference.
  3. The award will usually, though not necessarily, be given on an annual basis.
  4. Nominations for this award, while primarily the responsibility of the Awards Committee members, may be made by an individual member.
  5. The materials (hereafter referred to as “papers”) which will be considered for this award will consist of papers, exhibitions, or other scholarly works which have appeared in any issue of the ACMLA Bulletin for the 2 calendar years preceding the conference.
  6. Length will not be a consideration for determining the award; rather, the paper’s quality and contribution to the scholarly discussion will be the primary consideration.
  7. Only papers appearing in the Bulletin, which are not regular features, but are instead feature articles, will be considered for this award. Continued articles and co-authored articles shall be given full consideration.
  8. Articles which are eligible by the above clauses shall be further screened by subject matter. Only articles which made a solid contribution to map librarianship, curatorship or archiveship, including cartobibliographies, shall be considered for this award.
  9. The Awards Committee and its appointees, shall weigh the degree of originality, uniqueness of subject matter and the depth of research involved in the papers under consideration. The complexity of subject matter, the presentation of such by the author, and qualities such as style, should all be considered, with an understanding that there are differences in linguistic and cultural styles. A diversity of voices should be considered.
  10. Papers nominated for this award, which fit the above criteria to the satisfaction of the Awards Committee, shall then be subject to evaluation by a person or persons who are not normally members of the Committee.
  11. The Awards committee shall contact a person or persons of its choice and request a written evaluation of the quality exhibited by a nominated paper.
  12. Upon receipt of such evaluation, the Awards Committee shall come to a unanimous decision on the choice of a recipient.
  13. A report shall be made to the Executive on all papers nominated and the results of consideration by the Awards Committee one month prior to the annual conference.
  14. To facilitate and encourage the recipient's attendance at the annual conference, he/she should be informed of the impending award.

Guidelines for the Student Paper Award

  1. The Student Paper Award will consist of a prize of $250 and free membership in the Association for one year.
  2. The award includes an invitation to present the winning paper at the Annual Conference. The Association will waive registration fees and provide a travel stipend up to $250.00 with receipts.
  3. The award will normally be given on an annual basis to a student from Canada or studying in Canada currently enrolled in a post-secondary institution (college or university).
  4. The award will be announced at the Association's annual conference.
  5. The Committee will announce the award using various means so ensure wide participation.
  6. Papers submitted by the deadline date will be judged by the Awards Committee and the ACMLA Bulletin editor.
  7. The work shall be original and either published or unpublished. If published, they will need to have been published within 2 years prior to the conference in question.
  8. Primary consideration for the award will be given to the work's originality and its contribution to new knowledge and insight. Other considerations include the author's demonstration of the relevance of the subject, the quality of the presentation and documentation, and the literary merits of the work.
  9. A Report shall be made to the Executive on all papers submitted the results of the consideration by the Awards Committee one month prior to the Annual Conference.

Guidelines for the Honorary Member Award

  1. The ACMLA bestows an honorary lifetime membership on a member who has, by definition in Bylaw 4.2.1 b), “… made a distinguished contribution to the field of map librarianship or to a more significant understanding and appreciation of maps and whom the Association chooses to honour by election to Association membership.”
  2. This award is presented on an irregular basis.
  3. As per Bylaw 4.3.4: Honorary members shall possess the following rights and privileges:- a) free membership; b) such other benefits and services as the Association may establish; c) all benefits of regular members including the right to vote.
  4. Criteria: a) To be eligible for the Honorary Member Award in the ACMLA, a candidate must have demonstrated a career-long distinguished service to the Association through participation in ACMLA governance; committee work; and conference participation either through planning or involvement or program involvement. b) Nominee's contributions demonstrate long term commitment to the profession that is of lasting significance in the field of cartographic information in Canada. The contribution may be for service of various kinds, ranging from local projects to those of national scope and may cover any type of activity relating to map/GIS/data libraries or archives. c) Other factors to be considered include the research/publication record of the individual, innovation or leadership in the field of map librarianship, service to map related associations and enthusiasm, commitment and dedication to the profession. d) Personal members of the ACMLA, or former members who have retired, are eligible for the award.
  5. Procedures: As per Bylaw 4.2.5: Honorary Members - Such individuals who the Association chooses to honour by election to such membership status. Such individuals shall be nominated by two full members of the Association and the nomination confirmed by the Board of Directors and ratified by electronic processes by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of at least 40% of the full members of the Association.
  6. Nominations should be sent to the Past President at least two months in advance of the annual meeting to allow for the gathering of testimonials and letters of support to be considered by the Executive in reaching a decision. The nomination should include the following information: • Nominee name and present position, including title, institution name, address, telephone, and e-mail address; • A statement of why the person is being nominated, including the ways in which the nominee meets the criteria for selection listed above; • A resume and/or biographical statement; • The names of persons wishing to support the nomination; • Other documentation as available and appropriate may be submitted.
  7. The process for ratification: a) Ballots will be sent out via email to those names on the current membership roster provided by the Membership Officer, as well as the existing honorary members who have full voting rights in the Association. b) The Executive will convey the gratitude of the Association to the recipient. c) The Award will be presented at the next annual meeting.