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The Larry Romans Mentorship Award is given annually by the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) and the Rainbow Round Table (RRT) of the ÂÜÀòÍøÊÓƵ. The purpose of the award is to recognize librarians who, through their sustained mentoring efforts, have made a difference in our profession. Each year, the award will honor a librarian who has demonstrated excellence in the area of mentoring, who has successfully encouraged others to serve as mentors, and who has impacted the lives and careers of others through tirelessly devoting time, energy, and talent toward helping others succeed in our profession.

The award consists of a citation and $1,000. The award will be presented at the GODORT Awards Program at the ÂÜÀòÍøÊÓƵAnnual Conference. In addition, recognition of the recipient will also take place at the beginning of the Stonewall Book Awards Program held at the ÂÜÀòÍøÊÓƵAnnual Conference. One award will be given annually to an eligible candidate. If a suitable candidate is not found, the award will not be presented in a given year.

Criteria

The commitment to effective mentoring evidenced over time is the key criteria for the award. Nominees must show evidence of sustained and widespread mentoring activity in our profession. Criteria for the award include, but are not limited to:

• Mentoring has played a central role during a significant portion of the nominee’s career.
• The nominee’s mentoring activities have had broad impact throughout the ÂÜÀòÍøÊÓƵ.
• The nominee is a role model for others, and has influenced others to serve as mentors.
• Award recipients do not need to be members of RRT or GODORT.

Nominations

are open until January 2023.

Submission must be online. A letter of nomination is required along with at least 5 but no more than ten supporting documents. Supporting documents can include letters of support, statements of outstanding contributions, copies of presentations, links to resources created, and other evidence. Only the materials submitted as part of the nomination package will be considered. They should represent a full portrait of the candidate’s accomplishments, especially their efforts in mentoring individuals. Specific examples are useful as is supporting documentation. During deliberations, members of the award jury may bring to the attention of the jury personal knowledge, examples of social media, web information, publications, or other information that is relevant.

Eligibility

Members of the current award jury, their families, or members of their households are ineligible to receive the Award. Donors to the award are ineligible to receive the award to prevent the appearance of impropriety. Current RainbowRT Executive Board members and current GODORT Awards Committee and Steering Committee members are also ineligible.

Apply for the award .

Award List

• Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe
• Courtney L. Young
• July Siebecker
• 2020 No award given
• 2021 No award given
• 2023 Debbie Rabina

Questions?

For assistance, please contact the ÂÜÀòÍøÊÓƵOffice for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services at diversity@ala.org, or toll-free at 800-545-2433, ext. 4297.