ALTA has established an Awards Program to honour exemplary trustees and boards, and invites the participation of its members in nominating worthy colleagues for our two major awards.
Descriptions of both awards and the criteria for them are available online, as are Nomination Forms to be printed out and submitted according to the guidelines. They can also be requested from the ALTA office through mail or fax.
Award nominations are to be submitted each year before the deadline of February 15th for the previous year.
On this page:
- 2010 Award Winnners
- Award of Excellence
- Honourary Life Membership Award
- Lois Hole Award
- Past Award Winners
2010 AWARD WINNERS
Award of Excellence – Strathcona County Library Board
Lois Hole Award – Medicine Hat Library Board
Honourary Life Member – Marie Logan
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
DESCRIPTION
The Alberta Library Trustees Association (ALTA) Board of Directors established the Award of Excellence to recognize Library Boards that have enabled and supported their libraries to provide on-going excellent service to their communities over a five-year time period. The Award is announced at the ALTA Annual General Meeting, held at the Alberta Library Conference. The award is presented to the board in its home community at mutually convenient time as soon as possible after the award is announced.
GUIDELINES
- Only library boards that are members of ALTA are eligible to receive the award.
- Nominations for the Award of Excellence may be made by any of the following: staff or board of the library itself, staff or board of the regional library system to which it belongs, the municipality that it serves, or members of the community.
- The nomination shall include information specified by ALTA as well as board planning documents, photographs/clippings, letters of support, and any additional documentation deemed sufficient to provide a clear picture of how the Board has supported and contributed to the success of its library in meeting community needs.
- Nominations will be adjudicated by a jury of three:
- member of the ALTA Trustee Education committee who is not involved with any of the nominated boards;
- library trustee of a Library Board not nominated; and
- person connected to libraries, but not currently library staff or trustee.
- Notices requesting nominations for the Award of Excellence shall be sent to member library boards after the fall meeting of the ALTA Board.
- No late nominations will be considered.
CRITERIA
In general, eligible Library Boards should have:
- enabled and supported their libraries in the provision of on-going excellent library service to their community over a five year time span; and
- identified present or future needs in their community and implemented services/projects to meet those needs.
In particular, Boards will have served their communities in at least three of the following ways:
- assessed and responded to future and changing needs or circumstances in their community;
- exhibited innovation and creativity in meeting community needs;
- embarked on successful fundraising activities to support projects/services that better meet community needs;
- established mutually beneficial partnerships with other community organizations through shared planning and sponsorship of services and programs; and
- enabled their libraries to expand their services/programs to meet community needs.
ALTA Honourary Life Membership Award
DESCRIPTION
The Alberta Library Trustees Association (ALTA) Board of Directors established the Honorary Life Membership Award to recognize Albertans who have made a significant contribution to libraries and library trusteeship. The Board of Directors reserves the right to determine how any Honorary Life Memberships, if any, are to be awarded each year.
The Award is usually presented at ALTAʼs Annual General Meeting, held at the Alberta Library Conference. The successful candidate(s) will be notified within three weeks after the deadline for submission and invited to attend the annual library conference in Jasper to receive the award. In addition to the award, the recipient(s) may receive free ‘early bird’ registration, and up to three nights accommodation at the Jasper Park Lodge during the Conference.
GUIDELINES
- Nominations for Honorary Life membership may be made by the Board of the Alberta Library Trustees Association or by any member board in good standing with the Alberta Library Trustees Association.
- Notices requesting nominations for Honorary Life Membership shall be sent to member library boards after the fall meeting of the ALTA Board.
- Trustees currently sitting on the ALTA Board of Directors are not eligible.
- The nominee does not have to be serving as a trustee at the time of the nomination.
- Completed nomination forms shall be accompanied by a résumé of the nominee’s career and assessment of his/her contributions to the library community.
- Winners will be selected from nominations received by a committee of the Board of Directors of the Alberta Library Trustees Association.
- The deadline for nominations is January 31, 2011. No late nominations will be considered.
CRITERIA
In general, persons eligible should have:
- provided leadership in the library community;
- served as trustees in public libraries or public library systems in the province, or made a significant contribution to the library community; and
- served libraries in capacities beyond their local library or system board.
In particular, persons eligible may have achieved one or more of the following:
- fulfilled offices in the Alberta Library Trustees Association;
- contributed to the organization of the Alberta Library Conference;
- served exceptionally long terms in library trusteeship;
- provided leadership in the establishment of new libraries and library systems;
- participated in major innovations in library management and operation;
- served in a recognized provincial or national library related organization;
- promoted literacy;
- contributed significantly to trustee education; and/or
- made significant contributions to the literature which supports the efficiency, management and growth of the library community.
LOIS HOLE AWARD
DESCRIPTION
The Alberta Library Trustees Association established the Lois Hole Award in 2001 in honour of the passion that our Lieutenant-Governor had for the role libraries play in our society, and in gratitude for her support for libraries in Alberta.
ALTA recognizes that each and every library strives to provide library collections that meet their patrons’ needs for information and recreation. The Lois Hole Award provides a monetary award of $250 for the winning library to purchase new books of their choice for their library collection. Each book purchased through this award will have a bookplate affixed to it, indicating that was acquired by the library through the Lois Hole Award. As of 2008, the award is given as a donation to the Lois Hole Legacy Fund to be directed to the winning Library Board’s local Library.
CRITERIA
To be eligible, a library board must (1) be a member in good standing of the Alberta Library Trustees Association and (2) have at least one trustee registered and in attendance at the Alberta Library Conference that year. The name of one library is selected randomly from among those eligible library boards in a draw made at the ALTA Annual General Meeting, and announced at the Conference.
APPLICATION FORM and DEADLINE
There is no application form. Eligible libraries are identified by the Executive Director each year from information in ALTA membership records and information from the Conference Registrar. The deadline for eligibility for this award is the Opening Session of the Alberta Library Conference each year.
PAST AWARD WINNERS
2007
- Honorary Life Membership: Dr. Sheila Bertram, Edmonton
- Award of Excellence: Blackfalds Public Library Board
- Lois Hole Award: Cold Lake Public Library Board
2006
- Honorary Life Membership: Yvonne Slemko
- Award of Excellence: St. Paul Municipal Library Board
- Lois Hole Award: Banff Public Library Board
2005
- Honorary Life Membership: Anne Bernhardt, Medicine Hat and Brian Taylor, Winfield
- Award of Excellence: Medicine Hat Public Library Board
- Lois Hole Award: Medicine Hat Public Library Board
2004
- Honorary Life Membership: May Rowe, Peace and Judith Umbach, Calgary
- Award of Excellence: Calgary Public Library Board
- Lois Hole Award: Sheep River Public Library Board
2003
- Honorary Life Membership: Vic Mensch, Coaldale
- Award of Excellence: Wainwright Public Library Board
- Lois Hole Award: Edmonton Public Library Board
2002
- Honorary Life Membership: Dr. Marco Adria
- Award of Excellence: Mayerthorpe Public Library Board
- Deserving Trustee Award: Judy Kidd, Mayerthorpe
- Lois Hole Award: Redwater Public Library Board
