The Distinguished Service Award honors an individual from Australia, New Zealand or the region who has made an outstanding national or international contribution to arts information and/or arts librarianship.


Individuals nominated should have distinguished themselves in some of the following ways:

1. Made a significant contribution to the profession through active participation, advocacy, or leadership in ARLIS/ANZ or related organizations.

2. Made a significant contribution to a library or visual resource collection in a manner consistent with the highest standards of the field. These standards may be met in a variety of ways, including activity which involves exceptional creativity, innovation, intellectual or moral courage, leadership, scholarship.

3. Outstanding research and/or publication in any media or format that contributes to the further understanding and development of arts information, arts librarianship, or visual collections management.

4. Outstanding and sustained performance as a teacher in the field of arts librarianship, visual resources curatorship, or a closely related field.


1. Recipients need not be members of ARLIS/ANZ.

2. The awards may be given posthumously.

3. Current members of the National Executive and previous recipients of the award are not eligible for nomination.


1. The Award Committee will consist of the Chairperson of ARLIS/ANZ, or nominee from the Executive, and two other members elected at the AGM. The Chair may call for nominations for incidental vacancies.

2. One of the two members nominated by the Chapters will be appointed Chair by the Chairperson of ARLIS/ANZ


1. Nominations for the Distinguished Service Award may be submitted by any of the following: ARLIS/ANZ personal members, an ARLIS/ANZ Chapter, or a group of ARLIS/ANZ members. Nominations may be submitted by current members of the Executive Board and by members of the Awards Committee.

2. Nominations are made in writing to the Chairperson of the Awards Committee of ARLIS/ANZ. The deadline, set by the Committee, precedes the Annual Conference by at least two months. Nominations for the Distinguished Service Award are solicited annually.

3. Nominations are made in the form of a letter, written over a single signature or multiple signatures, which should express the accumulated weight and significance of the nominee's career. This official letter of nomination should be accompanied by supporting evidence. Additional supporting materials may be requested by the Awards Committee from nominators for purposes of clarification and/or explanation.

4. The Awards Committee acknowledges the receipt of nominations to the principal nominators, reviews nominations, and forwards its final recommendation to the National Executive one month before the annual conference and Annual General Meeting. The names of other nominees shall remain confidential.

5. The National Executive approves the award winner. The ARLIS/ANZ Chairperson notifies the recipient of the Award. The Chairperson of the Awards Committee notifies the principal nominators of both the Award recipient and unsuccessful nominations.

6. The ARLIS/ANZ Chairperson selects the person who will write the tribute which appears in the Conference program, and the abbreviated citation which will appear on the Award certificate. The certificate is signed by both the ARLIS/ANZ Chairperson and the Awards Committee Chairperson. In consultation with the principal nominator, the Chair also selects the person who will make the presentation. The name of an Award recipient will not be publicly announced before the Annual Conference.

7. Documentation for unsuccessful nominations will be returned to the nominator to ensure confidentiality. The nominating packet of the Award recipient will be forwarded to the ARLIS/ANZ Archives along with other papers of the Awards Committee.

8. In the absence of an adequately documented nomination of a worthy candidate, no award will be given. Where unusual circumstances warrant it, a second award may be given in any one year.

9. Unsuccessful nominations may be reviewed and resubmitted at a later date.


1. The winner of the Award is announced at the Annual Conference.

2. The recipient is invited to attend the Annual Conference at which the Award is normally presented, and will receive complimentary registration.

3. The Award will be presented at the Annual Conference or at another appropriate event at which the recipient is present. The Award recipient will be presented with a certificate by the ARLIS/ANZ Chairperson (or Chapter Chairperson), and the person selected by the Chairperson will deliver the presentation remarks and present the certificate.

4. Accompanying the Award will be a lifetime membership in ARLIS/ANZ.


1. Nominations will be solicited through ARLIS/ANZ News, ARLIS/ANZ-L, the ARLIS/ANZ Web Site, and other appropriate means prior to the annual meeting. The announcement will include the names of all recipients of the Award.

2. The announcement of the name of the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award will be publicized by the ARLIS/ANZ Executive following the Annual Conference.

3. A list of all Distinguished Service Award recipients will be published in the News, as well as on the ARLIS/ANZ Web Site.


2006
Jill More

2004
Joyce McGrath, OAM, VAS
Wendy O'Connor 1938-2004