So… you’ve decided it’s time to nominate yourself or a colleague for one of OELMA’s awards.
What do you do next?
Liz Deskins and Susan Yutzey created a video entitled “Awards 101” just for you. It can be found by clicking on the Awards tab on the OELMA website, as well as here.
Liz and Susan, in an interview format with an accompanying PowerPoint, walk you through the awards process and address why nominating a colleague for an award matters both personally and professionally. The text of their conversation can be found here.
OELMA has many awards, scholarships, and grants. Here is a list:
- Collaborative School Library Award
- Emerging Leader
- Tech Innovation Award
- Intellectual Freedom Award
- Leadership-in-Action Award
- Literacy Leader Award
- OELMA/Follett School Solutions Outstanding School Librarian Award
- Service Award for School Administrators (formerly Outstanding School Administrator)
- Outstanding Contributor Award
- J. Allen Oakum Scholarship
- Founders Scholarship
- OELMA/JLG Floyd Dickman Programming Grant
- READ On! Ohio Award for Children & Teens
As Liz and Susan explain, the checklists created for the majority of these awards are based on the Ohio Library Guidelines for Librarians. In writing the narrative to accompany the application, the nominee has the flexibility to select specific guidelines within the strands and topics to showcase their individual talents. Writing the narrative is an opportunity to reflect on your practice in 500 words.
The deadline to submit nominations is April 25 at 11:59 p.m. If you have questions, reach out to Gayle Schmuhl, Director of Awards, at oelma.awards@gmail.com.