Award categories
In 2023, awards were made in four categories:
- Indigenous Leader Award
- Indigenous Leader Award
- Emerging Leader Award
- Outstanding Library Team Award
- Distinguished Service Award
The criteria for the categories are provided below, as published during the call for nominations.
Indigenous Leader Award
The Indigenous Leader Award aims to recognise the contribution that Indigenous Australians and New Zealanders make to academic libraries and the work of CAUL.
Criteria against which nominations will be assessed:
- The nominee must be:
- a member of an Australian or Aotearoa/New Zealand Indigenous community; and
- a member of staff within the University Library
- Evidence of leadership impact or advocacy in service provision, innovation or people leadership.
The recipient is awarded $1,500 to use for professional development purposes, such as a study program or attending a conference.
Emerging Leader Award
The Emerging Leader Award is aimed at a professional staff member who is usually in the first ten years of their career and is role modelling strong leadership behaviours and can demonstrate success in goal orientation and achievement.
Criteria against which nominations will be assessed:
- Evidence of innovation, initiative, or demonstration of leadership of people and/or projects; and/or
- Evidence of service and contribution to the profession; and/or
- Evidence of research which advances academic library practice and/or academic communities advocacy of learning resources/library/programs and services.
The recipient is awarded $1,500 to use for professional development purposes, such as a study program or attending a conference.
Outstanding Library Team Award
The Outstanding Library Team Award seeks to recognise a library team and/or specific project group who have demonstrated excellent leadership in delivering significant service improvement, or cultural change aligned with organisational strategy/priorities.
Criteria against which nominations will be assessed:
- Evidence of value and impact in
- the delivery of significant service improvement; and/or
- leading positive organisational and/or cultural change brought about both to staff and clients
- Evidence of collegial work – including supporting colleagues in the achievement of goals or outcomes
- Evidence of sustainability and scalability.
The recipient team is awarded $3,000 to use for professional development purposes, such as a study program or attending a conference.
Distinguished Service Award
The Distinguished Service Award seeks to recognise an individual who has made an outstanding local, regional, or national contribution to academic libraries or the profession and whose contribution has had beneficial impact within the CAUL community.
Criteria against which nominations will be assessed:
- Evidence of a significant contribution to CAUL; and/or
- Evidence of the nominee has progressed the profile of CAUL and/or professional issues; and/or
- Evidence the nominee has significantly advanced CAUL’s strategic themes and/or led community practice; and/or
- Evidence that the nominee is esteemed as an influential senior leader and mentor; and/or
- Evidence that the nominee has made strategic contribution at a national or international level; and/or
- Evidence that the nominee has demonstrated significant innovation and achievement at the local, regional or national level.
The award will be made to a nominee who has met one or more of the above criteria.
The recipient is awarded a plaque or pin and is listed on the virtual honour roll.
Administration of the awards
Awards timeline
The awards opened for nominations on Friday 17 March 2023 and closed on Friday 12 May.
Nominations
Nominations may be made by the nominee or by a third party.
All nominations must include:
- A description of how the individual or team/group demonstrates leadership in relation to the criteria (maximum 700 words)
- A testimonial from a supervisor, peer or colleague that supports the nomination
- An endorsement from the relevant University Librarian or equivalent. Not required for nominations for awards to be made to University Librarians.
Nominations are made via the online submission form.
Judging
The 2023 adjudication panel comprised:
- Gwenda Thomas, University Librarian, University of Melbourne and Service Director, CAUL Professional Development Service
- Jane Angel, Executive Director, CAUL
- Clare Thorpe, Director Library Services, Southern Cross University
- Philip Kent, University Librarian, University of Sydney
- Cathy Warburton, CEO, Australian Library and Information Association.