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About

Ida and George Eliot Prize

The Ida and George Eliot Prize was established by Ida and George Eliot, friends of the Medical Library Association (MLA) and owners of Eliot Health Sciences Books, Long Island City, New York. In the mid-1980s Login Brothers Book Company acquired the company and continued to support the prize until 2001. MLA now supports the award. The Eliot Prize is presented annually for a work published in the preceding calendar year that has been judged most effective in furthering medical librarianship.

Criteria

  • The applicant must be a member of MLA.
  • The publication will be judged according to the following:
    • Contribution to the Profession: Does the item further medical librarianship by presenting new or innovative ideas of great importance? Or does it contribute a new and beneficial report or answer to an existing situation or present a comprehensive state of the art report?
    • Impact: Does the item show immediate or long-range potential and implications for those in the field of medical librarianship? Does it provide philosophical contributions or practical applications applicable to a variety of medical library situations?
    • Arrangement of Information: Does the item include all necessary elements for expression of the idea?
    • Expression of Content: Is the published work well presented and easy to read? Is the style effective and consistent?

Nominations 

  • The online application must be completed and all supporting documents uploaded no later than October 15.
  • Applications are accepted from the membership-at-large and from members of the Ida and George Eliot Prize Jury; the jury reviews publications other than those nominated and actively searches for publications, beginning the review process well before nominations may be received.
  • Applications should include a complete bibliographic citation, a copy of or web link to the work whenever possible, and any other pertinent information regarding the availability, content, and impact of the work.
  • Late and incomplete applications will not be considered.

Recipient

The recipient will be notified in March and receive a cash award of $1,000 after the annual conference in June. The recipient will be asked to share a photo and video for the virtual awards ceremony. If there are no appropriate candidates, the association may elect not to make the award in a given year.

Ready to Submit an Application?

  • The award application process is now closed.
  • Applicants and award recipients will be notified in March 2024 with the results.
  • The virtual awards ceremony will be held in April 2024.
  • Nominations for the 2025 award will open in August 2024.

Past Recipients

  • 2023: "Finding Your Seat at the Table: Roles for Librarians on Institutional Regulatory Boards and Committees": Susan Maria Harnett, AHIP and Laureen Patricia Cantwell 
  • 2022: "Integrating evidence-based medicine skills into a medical school curriculum: a quantitative outcomes assessment": Laura Menard, Amy Blevins, Daniel J. Trujillo, and Kenneth H. Lazarus
  • 2021: "Evaluating nursing faculty's approach to information literacy instruction: a multi-institutional study": Bethany S. McGowan, AHIP, Laureen P. Cantwell, Jamie L. Conklin, Rebecca Raszewski, AHIP, Julie Planchon Wolf, Maribeth Slebodnik, Sandra McCarthy, AHIP, and Shannon Johnson
  • 2020: "Exploring PubMed as a Reliable Resource for Scholarly Communications Services": Peace Ossom Williamson, AHIP, and Christian Minter
  • 2019: Advancing the Conversation: Next Steps for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer (LGBTQ) Health Sciences Librarianship”: Blake W. Hawkins; Martin Morris; Tony Nguyen, AHIP; John Siegel, AHIP; and Emily Vardell
  • 2018: "A competency framework for librarians involved in systematic reviews": Whitney A. Townsend; Patricia F. Anderson; Emily Ginier; Mark MacEachern; Kate Saylor; Barbara Lowther Shipman; and Judith Smith
  • 2017: none awarded
  • 2016: "Examining the Impact of the National Institutes of Health Public Access Policy on the Citation Rates of Journal Articles": Sandra De Groote, Mary Shultz, and Neil R. Smalheiser 
  • 2015: "Effects of librarian-provided services in healthcare settings: a systemic review": Laure Perrier, Ann Farrell, Ana Patricia Ayala, David Lightfoot, Tim Kenny, Ellen M. Aaronson, Nancy J. Allee, Tara Brigham, Elizabeth Connor, Teodora Constantinescu, Joanne M. Muellenbach, Helen-Ann Brown Epstein, and Ardis Weiss
  • 2014: "The value of library and information services in patient care: results of a multisite study": Joanne Gard Marshall, Julia Sollenberger, Sharon Easterby-Gannett, Lynn Kasner Morgan, Mary Lou Klem, Susan K. Cavanaugh, Kathleen Burr Oliver, Cheryl A. Thompson, Neil Romanosky, and Sue Hunter
  • 2013: none awarded
  • 2012: "The Medical Library Association Guide to Managing Health Care Libraries": Margaret M. Bandy and Rosalind F. Dudden
  • 2011: none awarded
  • 2010: "Health Informatics for Medical Librarians": Ana D. Cleveland and Donald Cleveland
  • 2009: "Decreased Hospital Length of Stay Associated with Presentation of Cases at Morning Report with Librarian Support": Daniel E. Banks, Runhua Shi, Donna F. Timm, Kerri Ann Christopher, David Charles Duggar, Marianne Comegys, and Jerry McLarty
  • 2008: "Progress in Health Sciences Librarianship: 1970–2005": Keith Cogdill
  • 2007: none awarded
  • 2006: "Emerging Roles of Health Sciences Librarians": Jean P. Shipman and Sarah B. Watstein
  • 2005: "Research on the Value of Medical Library Services: Does It Make an Impact in the Health Care Literature?": Pamela Sherwill-Navarro and Addajance Wallace
  • 2004: "The Contributions of Library and Information Services to Hospitals and Academic Health Sciences Centers: A Preliminary Taxonomy": Eileen Abels, Keith Cogdill and Lisl Zach
  • 2003: "Study to Assess the Compensation and Skills of Medical Library Professionals Relative to Information Technology Professionals": Frieda O. Weise and Thomas D. McMullen
  • 2002: none awarded
  • 2001: "Hospital Libraries and the Internet Part Two: Focus on the Future": Michael R. Kronenfeld
  • 2000: "Using Scientific Evidence to Improve Hospital Library Services: Southern Chapter/Medical Library Association Journal Usage Study," Bulletin of the Medical Library Association, v. 86; 1998: Carol A. Burns, Cheryl Rae Dee, Jocelyn A. Rankin
  • 1999: "Mapping the Literature of Allied Health" Bulletin of the Medical Library Association, v. 85, 1997: Barbara Schloman, Judith Burnham, Linda Slater, and Eileen M. Wakiji
  • 1998: "Beyond Relevance: Characteristics of Key Papers for Clinicians: an Exploratory Study in an Academic Setting": E. Diane Johnson, Emma Jean McKinin, Joyce A. Mitchell, John C. Reid, Mary Ellen Sievert
  • 1997: Series of articles published in the Medical Informatics Quarterly Series in Academic Medicine, v. 70, 1995: Robert M. Braude, Valerie Florence, Mark E. Frisse, and Sherrilynne S. Fuller
  • 1996: Effect of On-line Literature Searching on Length of Stay and Patient Care Costs": Michele S. Klein, Faith V. Ross, and Deborah L. Adams
  • 1995: "The Health Sciences Librarian as a Knowledge Worker": Nina W. Matheson and Valerie Florence
  • 1994: "Problem-Based Medical Education: Effect on Library Use": Jocelyn A. Rankin
  • 1993: "The Impact of Information Provided by the Hospital Libraries in the Rochester Area on Clinical Decision-Making": Joanne G. Marshall
  • 1992: "Government Documents and the Online Catalog": Mary Charles Lasater and Frances H. Lynch
  • 1990: "Searching for Patterns in the MeSH Vocabulary": Joyce E. B. Backus, Sara Davidson, and Roy Rada
  • 1989: Past, Present, and Future of Biomedical Information: National Library of Medicine
  • 1988: "Education for Health Sciences/Biomedical Librarianship: Past, Present, Future": Ellen Gay Detlefsen and Thomas J. Galvin
  • 1987: Literature of the Life Sciences: Reading, Writing, Research: David A. Kronick
  • 1986: Editor, Cost Analysis, Cost Recovery, Marketing and Fee-Based Services: M. Sandra Wood
  • 1985: "Physicians for the 21st Century: Report of the Project Panel on the General Professional Education of the Physician and College Preparation for Medical Education": Association of American Medical Colleges
  • 1984: Editor, Hospital Library Management: Jana Bradley
  • 1983: Editor, Handbook of Medical Library Practice, 4th ed., v. 1: Louise Darling
  • 1982: "A Randomized Trial of Librarian Participation in Clinical Settings": Joanne G. Marshall and Victor Neufeld
  • 1981: "JCAH accreditation and the hospital library: a guide for librarians," Bulletin of the Medical Library Association 1980 Apr;68(2):212–9: Judith M. Topper, Jana Bradley, Rosalind F. Dudden, Barbara A. Epstein, Jane A. Lambremont, and Taylor R. Putney Jr.
  • 1980: "Library Development and the JCAH Standards": Eloise C. Foster
  • 1979: "The Medical Library Association's International Fellowship Program": Ursula H. Poland
  • 1978: "Circuit Rider Librarian": Sylvia Feuer
  • 1977: "Guide to Drug Information": Winifred Sewell
  • 1976: "Health Sciences Libraries in the U.S.: A Five-Year Perspective": Susan Y. Crawford
  • 1975: In recognition of her excellent job in editing and coordinating the July 1974 issue of Library Trends: Joan Titley Adams
  • 1974: "Are Hospital Libraries Meeting Physicians' Information Needs?": John A. Timour and William P. Koughan
  • 1973: In recognition of his long distinguished editorship of Vital Notes on Medical Periodicals: William K. Beatty
  • 1972: "Selected List of Books and Journals for the Small Medical Library": Alfred N. Brandon
  • 1971: Medical Librarian Examination Review Book, v. 1: Jane Fulcher
  • 1970: "Communications: A Supplement to Medical Library Services": Thomas C. Meyer
  • 1969: none awarded
  • 1968: 1679–1966: A Selected Bibliography: John B. Blake and Charles Roos
  • 1967: In recognition of her personal efforts, which were instrumental in the establishment of the MLA Committee on Surveys and Statistics: Elizabeth Kennan
  • 1966: MLA Subcommittee on Recruitment "Medical Library Careers": Genevieve Cole, June L. Huntley, Lora Frances, and Irwin H. Pizer
  • 1965: "Guidelines for Medical School Librarians": Paul J. Sanazaro
  • 1964: "Medical Library Resources and Their Development": Scott Adams
  • 1963: "Abbreviations for Medical Journals Titles": Frank B. Rogers and Thelma Charen
  • 1962: "Planning the Library for the Librarian": Seymour L. Taine

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