Is your organization a Center of Excellence? Do you know an organization that should be recognized as a Center of Excellence?

The goal of the Centers of Excellence Awards is to recognize this excellence but to also bring it out into the public eye so that others may learn from it and to benchmark themselves against these truly excellent organizations.

Looking towards Seattle 2008 we would love to see your organization consider applying for one of the Center of Excellence Awards! These awards standards are based on the SLA competencies and honor organizations in one of three areas of excellence: Service, Management, and Technology.

Please submit your application for the COEA. The awards benefit the division through:

- Sharing best practices
- Publicizing and spotlighting excellence within the Division
- Creating benchmarking opportunities for other institutions and organizations

Applying for the Centers of Excellence Awards can also be an enriching and fulfilling endeavor. It will guide you in evaluating your own organization towards a higher level of excellence. Therefore, please consider submitting a proposal or recommending to a colleague that they should submit a proposal.

My experiences within the Business & Finance Division have shown me a tremendous amount of quality and excellence. It is now time that we recognize this with the Centers of Excellence Awards. Step forward, share with your colleagues, and be applauded!

Applications must be postmarked by February 28, 2008. The award criteria information can be found at the links below.

Seattle 2008 will be upon us soon!

Send your application to Tom or me at the address below. (An electronic version is preferred.) For your convenience, applicant guidlines are attached below.

We anxiously await hearing from you.

Leslie and Tom

Assoc. Prof. Leslie Reynolds

 West Campus Business Library
Mail Stop 5001
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-5001
Attn: COEA

leslie.reynolds@tamu.edu
979-458-0138

Centers of Excellence Awards Guidelines. This includes the complete guidelines.

Centers of Excellence Awards Abbreviated Applicant Guidelines.

Stanford Application

Malcolm Baldridge National Award Background.

2007 Recipients

Service – The Science, Industry & Business Library of the New York Public Library

Management – No award given

Technology – No award given

2006 Recipients

Service – The J. Hugh Jackson Library, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University

Management – No award given

Technology – No award given

2005 Recipients

Service – No award given

Management – National Geographic Society's Libraries and Information Services

Technology – No award given

2004 Recipients

Service - The Verizon Information Research Network (Powerpoint presentation)

Technology – No award given

2003 Recipients

Service – Kresge Business Administration Library, University of Michigan

Management – Nike Design Library

Technology – Knowledge Network Group, Microsoft

2002 Recipients

Service – Lippincott Library, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Management – No award given

Technology – Business Research Group, Center for Business Knowledge, Ernst & Young LLP, North America

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who is eligible to receive one of these awards?

Any member of the Business & Finance Division may apply. The award is presented to the organization described by the applicant.

The application can take any form, e.g. written report, videotape, photography, and narration. Each award will be presented to specific business information centers, based on a point system administered by the judges who are members of the Business & Finance Division.

Can I send in an application for an organization that I am not affiliated with?

Yes! You can submit an application for an organization that you are familiar with but not affiliated with.

What areas of information management are being focused on?

Service – excellence in service, instruction, and support to constituent users.

Management – successful and effective performance in four basic management roles: conceptualizing/planning, organizing, directing/motivating, evaluation/measuring.

Technology – successful, cost-effective and appropriate application of technology.

What are the award criteria?

The application should cover and comment upon all of these criteria for each category: Service, Management, and Technology.

Leadership
Strategic Planning
Customer/User Focus
Information and Analysis
Human Resource Focus
Process Management
Service Results

Details can be found in section 5.2 of the COE Awards Guidelines.

What are the critical dates in the application, consideration, and award process?

Applications are closed-presentation of the awards will take place at the SLA Annual Conference June 2008.

Where do I send my application?

Please send your application by either postal or email (email is preferred) to:

Assoc. Prof. Leslie Reynolds (leslie.reynolds@tamu.edu)

West Campus Business Library

Mail Stop 5001

Texas A&M University

College Station, TX 77843-5001

Attn: COEA

or

Assoc. Prof. Tom Marini (tmarini@ksu.edu)

Business Librarian

Kansas State University, KSU Libraries

Manhattan, KS 66506-1200

Attn: COEA

Other Questions?

Contact:

Leslie Reynolds or Tom Marini

leslie.reynolds@tamu.edu tmarini@ksu.edu

Page last updated: 2/29/08

Copyright © 2006 SLA Business & Finance Division All rights reserved.