Awards and Honors

All awards and honors are considered annually and are only given when nominees clearly meet or exceed the requirements.

All MLA awards and honors are listed below. Choose the individual award to view the terms and criteria information, access the online submission form, and view a list of past recipients. Note that receiving an MLA award is considered a member benefit, and MLA membership is required for most awards.

Some MLA awards and honors are funded through financial revenues generated from MLA restricted funds (endowments). To help sustain and develop awards, MLA welcomes your tax-deductible donation to the Awards and Honors Funds.

Unless otherwise noted, the deadline for all nominations, submissions, and supporting documents is December 2. Award recipients are announced in the spring each year. View awards and honors descriptions through the links below.

MLA welcomes your tax-deductible donation to help sustain awards.

Contact headquarters with any questions.

List of Awards

New to the Profession

• Rising Star Program - A one-year leadership development program with a project-based curriculum.
• Written Works - Rittenhouse Award - Awarded for outstanding unpublished works in health sciences librarianship or medical informatics.

Mid-Career Professionals

• Distinguished Achievement in Collection Development in the Health Sciences - Louise Darling Medal - Recognizing distinguished achievement in health sciences collection development.
• Excellence in Education - Lucretia W. McClure Award - Recognizing exceptional skills in teaching, curriculum development, mentoring, research, or educational leadership.
• Governmental Relations Award - Carla Funk - Recognizing exceptional leadership in governmental relations at any level, furthering the goal of providing quality health information.
• Information Advancement - Frank Bradway Rogers Award - Recognizing exceptional contributions in using technology to deliver health sciences information, advance the science of information, or facilitate the delivery of health sciences information.
• Librarian of the Year Award for Consumer Health - Recognizing consumer health librarians who excel in providing health information services.
• Librarian of the Year for Academic Health Sciences - Estelle Brodman Award - Recognizing mid-career excellence, leadership potential, and significant achievements in academic health sciences information.
• Librarian of the Year in Hospital Librarianship - Lois Ann Colaianni Award for Excellence and Achievement - Recognizing outstanding leadership, distinction, or service within hospital settings.
• Research Training Institute Fellowship - Recognizing researchers who can independently conduct or lead quality research projects.
• Volunteer Service Award - Virginia L. and William K. Beatty - Recognizing exemplary commitment and enduring service to MLA and the health sciences information profession.
• Written Works - Collection Development - Daniel T. Richards Prize - Awarded for published works related to collection development in the health sciences.
• Written Works - History of Health Sciences - Erich Meyerhoff Prize - Awarded for the best unpublished scholarly paper on the history of the health sciences that stimulates interest in the field.
• Written Works - Ida and George Eliot Prize - Awarded for the most effective published work from the preceding year that advances medical librarianship.

Proven Leader

• Honorary Membership - Recognizing nonmembers for sustained and outstanding contributions to health sciences librarianship and to the advancement of the purposes of MLA.
• Marcia C. Noyes Award - Recognizing a career marked by lasting, outstanding contributions, sustained achievement, and leadership in health sciences librarianship.
• MLA Award for Distinguished Public Service - Recognizing individuals whose exemplary actions have significantly advanced public health, welfare, and intellectual freedom.
• MLA Fellows - Recognizing MLA members for sustained and outstanding contributions to health sciences librarianship and to the advancement of the purposes of MLA.
• President Award - Recognizing significant contributions in the past year that enhances health sciences librarianship or advances MLA’s objectives.

Organizational Focus

• Research Advancement in Health Sciences Librarianship Award - Recognizing organizations whose exemplary efforts have advanced health information research and evidence-based practice in health sciences libraries.

International Focus

• International Service Award - T. Mark Hodges - Recognizing outstanding achievements in improving the quality of health information globally through the development of health information professionals, library improvements, or increased use of health information services.

Chapter and Caucus

• MLA Caucus Project of the Year Award - Recognizing creativity, cooperation, and leadership through special projects that go beyond regular caucus programming.
• MLA Chapter Project of the Year Award - Recognizing excellence, innovation, and contributions to health sciences librarianship through special projects that go beyond regular chapter programming.

Lectureships

• Lectureship - Janet Doe - MLA Annual Conference keynote by a distinguished member selected by a jury of MLA peers.
• Lectureship - John P. McGovern Award - MLA Annual Conference keynote on a topic of importance to health sciences librarianship
• Lectureship - NLM/MLA Joseph Leiter - Keynote on a topic of importance related to biomedical communications.