The OELMA awards and scholarship season kicks off on Tuesday, March 15. Nominating yourself or another OELMA member for an award leads to many rewards beyond the award itself. Let’s take a look at some of our 2021 award recipients and see what they have to say.

Grace Hammond, recipient of the OELMA Collaborative School Library Award, shared that “I had a community of support. It was also a great piece of advocacy for the media center at my school because it was a way to share that what is happening in the media center is dynamic, innovating, and contemporary.  It led to increased support for my program and more connections with other librarians, and I could not appreciate it more.”

Talk about building powerful connections!

Angie Jameson, recipient of the OELMA Collaborative School Library Award, explained that “sharing the recognition with the teachers and administrators who were willing to take risks with me in the 2020-2021 school year highlighted the nature of the library media specialist job in the current educational landscape. It's so important for librarians to help teachers understand how the job has changed and what services we offer, and this award gave me the spotlight to share all the wonderful opportunities our teachers have beyond book selection and promotion. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to involve my administrators in the process of the award, allowing them the chance to understand the scope of updated library standards and skills we need the time to hone and continuously improve upon.” 

Talk about building powerful connections!

To learn more about OELMA awards, scholarships, and grants visit the OELMA website. During your visit, notice the new layout.  Click on any award, scholarship or grant and it opens a new tab that features an award description, criteria, and application process.  

Two features that the Awards Committee worked diligently to streamline include new checklists and applications.  The checklists replace the rubrics.  As you review the checklists, note that each checklist (except for the OELMA Literacy Leader Award) is based on the Ohio Library Guidelines for Librarians (2021).  For the application process, there is a Part A for the nominator and a Part B for the nominee.  As the nominator, be sure and notify the person you have nominated to complete Part B, including attachments.  If you are self-nominating, all you need to do is complete Part B, including attachments.

The deadline to submit applications for awards, scholarships, and grants is April 25, 2022 by 11:59 p.m.  Throughout awards season, check out OELMA’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as well as the OELMA listserv.

For questions, reach out to oelma.awards@gmail.com - Director of Awards, Gayle Schmuhl.