(The following information comes courtesy of Kristen Desanto, member of the Honors and Awards Committee.)

Call for MCMLA Awards Nominations

Nominations for the 2016 MCMLA Awards open on May 23! Nominate a fellow member or yourself for one of the three prestigious Midcontinental Chapter awards. These awards are a great way to recognize the outstanding service of a coworker or professional colleague. Awards will be announced at the 2016 MCMLA/Midwest Joint Chapter Meeting in Des Moines, October 21-25.

Bernice M. Hetzner Award for Excellence in Academic Health Science Librarianship

This award was established in 1991 in honor of Bernice M. Hetzner, Library Director and Professor Emeritus at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, who retired in 1973. This $500 award recognizes an academic health sciences librarian who has achieved a high level of professional accomplishment. For more information, visit the award webpage [http://mcmla.org/hetzner]

Nominees are evaluated on:

• Academic health science library leadership/innovation
• Local group participation/leadership
• Chapter participation/leadership
• National participation/leadership 

Barbara McDowell Award for Excellence in Hospital Librarianship

The Barbara McDowell Award was established in 1984 in memory of Barbara McDowell, Chief of Library Services at the Sioux Falls, South Dakota Veterans Administration, who died in 1983. This $500 award honors a chapter member who has made an outstanding contribution to hospital librarianship. For more information, visit the award webpage [http://mcmla.org/mcdowell]

Nominees are evaluated on:

• Hospital library leadership/innovation
• Local group participation/leadership
• Chapter participation/leadership
• National participation/leadership

Outstanding Achievement Award

Established in 1983, this award honors a member for significant contributions to health sciences/hospital libraries, to the profession and to the goals and objectives of the chapter. Award winners receive a plaque and $500 monetary gift at the MCMLA conference. For more information and to see the nomination criteria, visit the award webpage [http://mcmla.org/outstanding]

Nominees are evaluated on:

• Leadership
• Training
• Presentations and publications
• Library development
• Networking
• Originality and creativity
• Organizational activities

Nominations for all awards are due by August 26. The nomination form is available on the MCMLA website [http://mcmla.org/nominate]. You can contact the Honors and Awards Committee Chair, Rebecca Carlson McCall [rcarlson@sbuniv.edu] or 417-820-2104 with any questions.