The ALA Student Chapter at IUB was named the ALA Student Chapter of the Year Award recipient for 2005. It is the first such accolade for the organization.
In announcing the national award, Courtney L. Young, Chair of the Student Chapter of the Year Award Committee, said the "selection is a tribute to your past year of accomplishments and hard work."
Added Young: "The committee applauds Indiana Bloomington's hard work in membership recruitment and retention efforts, including the mentor program and faculty membership.
"The balance and strength of professional programming and social activities was very good. The implementation of a bulletin board system for members was an outstanding way to facilitate chapter communication.
"The chapter demonstrated leadership by creating a dialogue and collaborating with UIPUI, providing strong committee opportunities, and officer involvement in programming. Finally, the chapter advisor statements demonstrated solid support and awareness for your chapter and its activities."
The news was welcomed by the chapter's leadership on the IUB campus. "We really have a great group of students in ALA-SC this year," said Tom Nisonger, the chapter's faculty co-advisor and SLIS associate professor of information and library science. "I am proud of them for winning the award." Co-advisor Mary Popp, of the IUB Main Library, remarked that the students throughout the year "all did a marvelous job." And chapter President Arianne A. Hartsel thanked members for their "hard work" and said she was "so proud" of them.
The award, which is sponsored by the ALA Membership Committee and New Members Round Table, comes with a travel grant of $1,000 to be used towards the cost sending chapter representatives to the 2005 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago on June 23-29. A certificate of recognition will be presented at a reception on Saturday, June 25, at 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Posted March 21, 2005