UKSG and NASIG are delighted to announce the 2017 winners of its annual John Merriman Award, named in recognition of the founder of both UKSG and NASIG.
- Eimear Evans, Institutional Repository Officer at the McClay Library, Queens University Belfast will receive funding from award sponsor Taylor & Francis to attend the 2017 NASIG Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana with additional support from UKSG to attend the 2017 UKSG Conference in Harrogate in April.
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Melissa Higgins, Collections Analyst, Auraria Library, University of Colorado Denver will receive funding to attend the 2017 UKSG Conference in Harrogate.
The award gives members of UKSG and its sibling organisation NASIG the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of issues affecting libraries, and the chance to explore innovative ideas for the strategic development of libraries. It is open to members of UKSG and NASIG, who are in a functional position within a library or information service, with direct responsibility for managing information resources, or those in direct contact with library users, supporting them in the use of resources.
Applicants were required to write a short paper on the topic ‘What is the biggest challenge facing you in your current job and how, in an ideal world, would you address it?’, and a paragraph describing what they hoped to achieve by attending the NASIG or UKSG conference.
The Education Subcommittee of UKSG, which selects the winning UKSG applicant, used the following criteria in the decision-making process:
- Evidence that applicant can demonstrate innovation & initiative
- Evidence that attendance at the conference would facilitate networking and exchange of ideas
- Evidence that the applicant would be able to apply their knowledge in the workplace
- Evidence that the applicant would effectively disseminate ideas/knowledge gained from the conference
We are grateful to the Merriman Award UK sponsor, Taylor & Francis, which makes a generous contribution toward the costs of travel, accommodation and associated expenses.
Ian Bannerman, Managing Director at Taylor & Francis explains why the organisation sponsors the Award: “The UKSG and NASIG conferences provide invaluable learning and networking opportunities for librarians, publishers and agents. The connections made at such events are essential in times of change, so I’m pleased that by sponsoring the Merriman Award, Taylor & Francis can help maintain vital links within our community.”
