Birdie MacLennan Award

Purpose of the Award

To advance the profession by providing mid-career information professionals with the opportunity to share their understanding and accelerate their knowledge of information resource management (e.g., serials and/or e-resources acquisitions, resource metadata and discovery, scholarly communications, collections management, digital publishing, e-resource or serials sales, scholarly publishing, or knowledgebase management) by networking and interacting with a wide range of dedicated professionals working in all segments of the information supply chain; including librarians, vendors, publishers, and other non-traditional serialists.

What is Received

• The award winner will receive a waiver for the basic conference registration, three (3) nights in the conference hotel prepaid by NASIG, and a $600 stipend for travel expenses and meals not covered by conference registration. The award winner must arrange transportation to the conference site themselves. If travel and meal expenses exceed $600, NASIG will reimburse overages upon the submission of receipts. Award winners only need to submit receipts if expenses exceed their $600 stipend. Please note that NASIG will only provide reimbursements for a basic economy class plane travel on a ticket purchased at least 28 days prior to the conference. Please contact the NASIG Award and Recognition Committee chair to verify airfare costs if you have any questions about the type of ticket you are purchasing.
• One year's free membership in NASIG
• Invitation to serve on a NASIG committee the year following the award

Named in Honor of

Birdie MacLennan is remembered by almost everyone who has ever worked with serials in a professional capacity as the Listowner & Moderator for SERIALST, the unique forum for discussion of serials in libraries since October 1990.  As the guiding hand behind this resource, Birdie shaped the landscape for serials management throughout the crucial internet era; a time when the most change occurred in the field since the founding of the first scholarly journals in the 17th Century. She gave generously of her time and experience with colleagues near and far, and was full of humor and good spirit.  Throughout her career she was a friend and fan of the NASIG organization, volunteering in many roles.  NASIG benefited immeasurably from the life of Birdie MacLennan, one of the foremost librarians of her generation.

Eligibility

• This award is open to qualified NASIG members.
• Applicants must currently be in a position of a professional nature with primary responsibilities for some aspect of information resource management (e.g., serials and/or e-resources acquisitions, resource metadata and discovery, scholarly communications, collections management, digital publishing, e-resource or serials sales, scholarly publishing, or knowledgebase management), vendor, agent, or scholarly publisher.
• Applicants must have served in this position or an equivalent leadership role for a minimum of five years at the time of the application deadline.
• Preference will be given to applicants who have demonstrated excellence in the core serials competencies, and have contributed to the profession through innovation and/or mentoring.

What is Needed to Apply?

Please see the application Google form for details on how to submit the Resume/CV and essay

1. Application Google form
2. Reference Google form
3. Resume or CV (emailed to Jamie Carlstone, details in application)
4. Essay (no more than 500 words): This year is NASIG's 35th anniversary conference and much has changed in our profession and organization since 1986. Looking forward, what changes do you see in information management for the next 35 years, and how can organizations like NASIG play a leadership role? (submitted as part of the application Google form)

Requirements Post-Award

Following the Conference, the award winner will be interviewed for an article to appear in the NASIG Newsletter, or, if they prefer, may contribute an article about their Conference experience.

Submitting Application

Applications will only be accepted in electronic form

Email questions to Jamie Carlstone (jamie.carlstone@northwestern.edu)

Application Deadline

February 20, 2020

Award Notification

April 2020

About NASIG

Established in 1985, NASIG is an independent organization working to advance and transform the management of information resources. Our ultimate goal is to facilitate and improve the distribution, acquisition, and long-term accessibility of information resources in all formats and business models.