Midwest MLA: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, Wisconsin

Awards

Annual Meeting Grant

Supports the attendance of librarians and library staff at the Chapter’s Annual Meeting.This grant includes a free full conference registration and one 4 hour CE. One award is available

Awards & Scholarships 2025 Application Cycle

Applications Accepted: May 9, 2025 - September 12, 2025

Notification of Scholarships: By September 12, 2025

Notification of Awards: At the Chapter Business Meeting in October 2025

Please note: Members can apply for more than one award/grant if they qualify.

First-Time Attendee Annual Meeting Grant

The Midwest Chapter/MLA Professional Development Award supports the first-time attendance of Midwest Chapter members at the Chapter’s Annual Meeting. This grant includes a free full conference registration and one 4 hour CE. One award is available.

Student Annual Meeting Grant

Supports the attendance of a library science student at the Chapter’s Annual Meeting. This grant includes a free full conference registration and one 4 hour CE. One award is available.

Distinguished Librarian of the Year Award

Recognizes Chapter members at any career level who have provided outstanding service to Midwest Chapter/MLA. The winner receives a plaque of recognition.

Jean Williams Sayre Innovation Award

recognizes individuals, groups, libraries, or organizations for their creative approaches to the delivery and management of health information. The winner receives a plaque.

Research Awards

The Chapter will present a certificate of recognition to the primary author of the best research paper, lightning talk, and the best research poster presentations. Awards are granted at the discretion of the Professional Practice Committee; all awards may or may not be presented at any given Annual Meeting

The Committee Chair coordinates the judging of research papers and posters. A minimum of two Committee members will be assigned to grade each research paper and poster using a standardized rubric. Disagreement will be resolved through discussion among the Committee or other Chapter members upon request of the Committee Chair.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for consideration for a Research Award, the papers and posters must meet the following criteria:

Answered Yes to the question regarding research paper/poster award when submitting abstracts for Midwest Chapter/MLA Annual Meeting
Abstracts accepted for presentation at Midwest Chapter/MLA Annual Meeting
One author must be a Midwest Chapter member
One author must be present at the presentation

Judging Standards

The Professional Practice Committee coordinates the judging. A minimum of two judges will score each research paper and poster. Judges are assigned paper sessions and specific posters for judging. Members of the Professional Practice Committee will be assigned to judge, and the Professional Practice Committee Chair may request assistance from other Midwest Chapter members to help with evaluating the research papers and posters presented.

The quality of the research as presented at the meeting will be evaluated and scored using standardized poster and paper evaluation forms. Points are awarded for study design, validity, reliability, presentation, and implications of the research.

Fan Favorite Awards

The Chapter will present a certificate of recognition to the primary author of the fan favorite paper, lightning talk, and poster presentations. Awards are granted at the discretion of the Professional Practice Committee; all awards may or may not be presented at any given Annual Meeting.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for consideration for a Fan Favorite Award, the papers and posters must meet the following criteria:

Abstracts accepted for presentation at Midwest Chapter/MLA Annual Meeting
One author must be a Midwest Chapter member
One author must be present at the presentation

Award Criteria

The Professional Practice Committee will coordinate the voting process. All conference attendees can cast votes for their favorite paper(s), lightning talk(s) and/or poster(s). There is no limit on the amounts of votes that conference attendees can place. The award will go to the presentation with the highest amount of votes.