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 Award will be announced and presented during convocation ceremonies at the annual ARLIS/NA Conference in Boston in April 2010.

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, 2009. 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:

Liv Valmestad
Art Librarian
Architecture/Fine Arts Library
206 Russell Building
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB.
R3T 2N2
Canada

Phone: (204) 474-8447
E-mail: liv_valmestad@umanitoba.ca