ALISE / Connie Van Fleet Award for Research Excellence in Public Library Services to Adults

This award was created in memory of Connie Van Fleet, in recognition of her life’s work. The ALISE/Connie Van Fleet Award for Research Excellence in Public Library Services to Adults fulfills the mission of ALISE in one of the Association’s key intellectual domains by recognizing LIS research concerning services to adults in public libraries. In 2024 the award includes a cash component of $200.

Dr. Connie Van Fleet, Professor, University of Oklahoma School of Library and Information Studies, was a member of ALISE for more than 20 years and contributed to ALISE in various ways.  Dr. Van Fleet was elected to the ALISE Board from 2006-2009, serving as Vice-President/President Elect, President, and Past President. As President, she built strong support structures and procedures for the work of ALISE. There is wide consensus that ALISE is much better managed than it had been for many years because of her efforts. In addition to her role on the Board, Dr. Van Fleet was the convener of the Teaching Methods Special Interest Group and served as chair or member of the Membership Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Publications Committee and the Conference Program Planning Committee. In 2010, Dr. Van Fleet was the recipient of the ALISE Service Award.  In 2004, she won the ALISE Award for Teaching Excellence in the Field of Library and Information Science Education. (Source: http://ali.memberclicks.net/in-memoriam---connie-van-fleet)  See also: http://slis.ou.edu/dr-connie-vanfleet-in-memoriam

Previous Recipients

Chair

Miriam Tuliao, Queens College

Members

LaVerne Gray, University of Syracuse
Hyerim Cho, University of Missouri
Ina Fourie, University of Pretoria
Gretchen Hoffman, Texas Woman's University

Board Liaison

Daniella Smith, University of North Texas, Director, Membership

Committee Membership

• The Committee consists of four ALISE Members, one of whom serves as Chair 
• Members are selected by the President-Elect and serve for two years, and may be appointed to serve a second consecutive two-year term.
• The chair is selected by the President-Elect holds this position for one year, and may be appointed to serve a second consecutive one-year term.
• The Committee reports to the Past-President

2025 Sponsor

Sponsorship opportunities will be available soon for the ALISE/Connie Van Fleet Award.

• Recognizes an individual or a research team (not organizations) for outstanding research contribution in the field of public library services to adults broadly defined to include reference services; literacy; cultural programming; readers’ advisory; genre fiction; services to special adult populations such as people with disabilities, minority groups, and older adults; and related areas
• Adults are defined as persons aged 18 and above 
• The award is intended to be for achievements that have significant impact in the field and is based on recent and/or previous research for which contributions have recently been recognized
• Persons must be members of ALISE to be eligible

Submission Requirements

Nominations may come from any source including self-nominations. The nomination package shall consist of the following:

• The name, address, email, and phone number of the person making the nomination;
• The name, address, email, and phone number of the candidate for the award;
• The nomination statement should address significance of the research, impact (potential or actual) on research or practice, quality of research design, and the research track record of nominee (max. 2 pages)
• No more than three letters of support; and no more than three supporting documents.

Judging Criteria

Proposals will be judged on the following criteria:

• Appropriateness to the purpose and eligibility of the award
• Completeness of the application
• Significance of the research
• Originality of the research
• Impact (potential or actual) on research or practice
• Research track record of nominee
• Strength of letters of support

Submission Process

Submission Deadline

March 28, 2025

Previous Awardees:

2024- Amelia Anderson, University of South Florida
2023- Rachel Williams, University of South Carolina
2022 - Jenny Bossaller, University of Missouri
2021 - Noah Lenstra, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
2020 - Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Chris Cyr, Michele Coleman, Kendra Morgan, Mercy Procaccini, Larra Clark, & Scott Allen:  Public Libraries Respond to the Opioid Crisis with Their Communities
2019 - No award issued
2018 - Bharat Mehra, University of Tennessee
2017 - Lynne Howarth, University of Toronto
2016 - No award given
2015 - Keren Dali, University of Western Ontario