The Innovation in Action Award recognizes an information professional, or team of information professionals, who has initiated and implemented new processes or programs to enhance their own information organizations or who has enhanced the profession through Minnesota Chapter activities.
Award
$100
Eligibility
- Applicants/nominees must be active SLA-MN members in good standing.
- Applicants may be self-nominated or nominated by an active SLA-MN member.
- Winners may not receive the award two consecutive years; however, they may win the following year as part of a team effort.
- The selected initiative must have been completed within a 2-year period prior to July 30 of the year nominated.
- Winners must agree to serve on the Awards Committee the following year.
- Winners must present the initiative to the chapter through a presentation or article.
- Applications will not carry over from one year to the next; however applicants may resubmit their applications.
- Members of the Awards Committee and their organizations are not eligible.
Application Process
- The award review process will take place annually; however, there is no requirement the award be given every year.
- The Awards Committee will solicit applications in the spring of each year through chapter communications (i.e. website, discussion list, meeting announcements, social media, etc …).
- All applications must be accompanied by an overview of the initiative not to exceed 5 pages. Special efforts should be made to address goals expected from the initiative, the process used to accomplish the initiative, and actual benefits accrued to the information organization or chapter as a result of the initiative.
- Nomination forms and letters of support from the applicant’s organization should be received by date specified in award announcement.
- The Awards Committee will review all applications and complete structured interviews with applicants as needed.
Please submit the following information to the Awards Committee chair for consideration:
- Name
- Contact information, including phone and email address
- Name and contact information of nominator
- Write an essay or answer the following questions to provide information supporting the nomination:
- Briefly describe the issue involved and why this issue was chosen.
- What prompted you to work on this?
- How did the initiative/quality improvement project come about?
- What quality goals were you trying to achieve? What problems were you trying to solve?
- What products, documents, new services came out of the project?
- How did it change the way you do things in your department or organization?
- What have been the benefits to your customers? To your parent organization?
- How have you quantified/measured it?
- Describe your written plans, action steps, progress reports and/or final reports of this project.
- Did you involve others in your work group/department? If so, how? Were they aware of the project, and did they have a role to play in meeting the goal?
- What obstacles did you face?
- Perception
- Culture
- Resistance to change/inertia
- Competition and/or turf issues
- Resources
- What did you learn?
- What would you have done differently?