OSLA Award for Special Achievement
The OSLA Award for Special Achievement honours individuals or organizations outside individual schools or school boards which have provided significant support to teacher-librarians and school library information centre development in Ontario through exceptional projects and activities.
Nominees for this award may be an individual person or a group/project. When nominating a group/project, please provide details for a primary contact in the nomination form.
Criteria/Eligibility
- This award is given to individuals or organizations which have made a significant impact in the school library field through some of the following endeavours:
- Advocacy campaigns.
- Local leadership initiatives.
- Professional development.
- Literacy programs.
- Literature programs.
- School library research.
- Publication of handbooks, guidelines, resource documents, etc.
- Teacher-librarians, library coordinators, teacher-librarians’ associations, parent groups and friends of school libraries are eligible for this award.
- The nominee must be a member in good standing of OLA/OSLA.
Nomination Procedure
- Nominations will be accepted between: September – November
- The nominator must be a member in good standing of OLA/OSLA
- The nominator must provide include evidence to support the nomination, potentially including but not limited to:
- An endorsement by at least one OSLA member.
- Documented accomplishments of the individual/project/group and a package of appropriate materials to support the nomination.
Selection Process
- The selection committee consists of OSLA Council.
- Eligible applications will be assessed according to the criteria as above and any supporting the documentation.
- OSLA Council will review all of the applications and assess candidates’ eligibility.
- The Council will consider all potential candidates, including those nominated from the membership.
- Nominees who are not selected may be re-nominated in subsequent years with the submission of updated documentation.
- Once the winner has been chosen, the OLA Office and OSLA President will contact the successful nominator.
- The OLA office will contact all unsuccessful nominators.
- The OLA office will connect with the winner for award presentation logistics.
- The presentation of the award is at the discretion of the OSLA Council and is not necessarily presented on an annual basis.
Award Presentation Information
- This award is presented at the OLA annual Super Conference.
- At the presentation, an introductory speech will be delivered outlining the achievements of the award winner.
- The recipient will prepare a short acceptance speech.
- A description of the award winner’s accomplishments is published in the Spring issue of Teaching Librarian and may be promoted through other association publications.
