The Melva J. Dwyer Award was established in recognition of the contribution made to the field of art librarianship by Melva Dwyer, former head of the Fine Arts Library, University of British Columbia. It is given to the creators of exceptional reference or research tools relating to Canadian art and architecture.  The Award is administered by the Canadian Representative to the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) who is also the Chair of ARLIS/NA Canada, and is adjudicated by a jury of three Canadian art information professionals.

The 2012 Award will be announced and presented during convocation ceremonies at the annual ARLIS/NA Conference in Toronto in March 2012.

Criteria

• The title must relate to Canadian art and/or architecture, be produced by Canadian authors and be disseminated by Canadian sources.
• The format of the reference or research tool can vary: print, electronic, multimedia or other vehicles will be considered.
• The date of publication or release should be within the last two years of the date of nomination, although exceptions can be made for cumulative achievement.
• Monographs, exhibition catalogues and periodical articles will be considered if the scope and quality of the bibliographic information or the arrangement of the main text merits recognition as a major reference or research tool.

Nomination procedures

Nominations should be sent directly to the ARLIS/NA Canada Chapter Chair. Nominations must be received no later than December 31, 2011. Each nomination should include full bibliographic information and a written justification assessing the importance of the work to the discipline.

Please send nominations to the Chair of ARLIS/NA Canada, who will forward them to the jury:

James Rout
University Librarian
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
1399 Johnston Street, Granville Island
Vancouver BC 
V6H 3R9
Canada

Phone: (604) 844-3835

e-mail: jrout@ecuad.ca