OPLA Lifetime Achievement Award

The OPLA Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to honour an individual who has given lifelong service to the profession and has contributed significantly to the growth and innovation of public libraries in Ontario.

Criteria/Eligibility

The selected candidate must have worked in an Ontario library for all or a substantial portion of their career.
Nominees from small, medium and large libraries shall be given equal consideration.
There is no minimum educational requirement for qualification for the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award may be given posthumously within one year of the death of a suitable recipient.
The selection of the candidate will be based on significant contributions in at least one of the following criteria: o Commitment to the broader library community. o Implementation of creative and innovative ideas that have been adopted by public libraries throughout the province. o Positive support for the profession, as evidenced by mentoring and participating in the ongoing education of librarians and library staff or participation in professional associations. o Evidence of having earned the respect of the profession, their colleagues and their community and being a person whose advice is sought.
Those currently serving on the OPLA Council are not eligible for this award.

Nomination Procedure

The nominator must be a member in good standing of OLA/OPLA.
The nomination form is accessed by visiting the OLA Awards webpage: https://accessola.com/membership-information/awards/
The nomination package should include evidence to support the nomination, potentially including but not limited to: o A letter of not more than 500 words to the committee from the nominator. o Two letters of support. o Nominee’s work history and significant positions in libraries. o Evidence of nominee’s contributions to professional library organizations and other community organizations. o Examples of leadership and innovations, as in special projects, new services, community partnerships, etc. o Letters of support from those who have been impacted by the nominee. o Press clippings or other material demonstrating recognition of nominee’s impact.
Nominations will be accepted between: September – November.
The closing date for nominations in any given year is: 30 November.
Once the winner has been chosen, the OPLA President will contact the successful nominator. o The OLA office will contact all unsuccessful nominators.
Unless otherwise arranged, the OPLA President will also contact the successful nominee and request a photo for promotion purposes. o The OLA office will later connect with the nominator and the winner for award presentation logistics.
If desired, nominators may be involved in the award presentation such as creating and/or writing the presentation speech. Please indicate your interest to do so in the nomination form.

Selection Process

The OPLA Council will appoint the Selection Committee. It will be composed of three OPLA members and will include at least one OPLA Councillor.
Nominees who are not selected may be re-nominated in subsequent years with the submission of updated documentation.
The Selection Committee will review all of the applications and assess candidates’ eligibility. Eligible applications will be assessed using a rubric according to the criteria as above and any supporting the documentation.
The Selection Committee will present their recommendation to the OPLA Council for approval.
The presentation of the award is at the discretion of the OPLA Council and is not necessarily presented on an annual basis.

Award Presentation Information

The President of OPLA will present the award at the Public Library Awards Gala in conjunction with the OLA’s annual Super Conference.
The winner will be notified in advance of the award presentation.
At the presentation, an introductory speech will be delivered outlining the achievements of the award winner.
The recipient will prepare a short acceptance speech.
Award winners receive 2 complimentary tickets to the Public Library Awards Gala; one for themselves (or designate), and one for a guest; in addition, they will receive two free tickets to the conference for the day of the event (travel expenses not included). Additional tickets must be purchased.
The recipient may be asked to write an article for HOOPLA about their work, the award they received, and what it has meant to them.