TLA GODORT/MARCIVE "Knowledge is Power" Award
A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governours, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives. -- James Madison
Purpose
The TLA GODORT/MARCIVE "Knowledge is Power" Award recognizes the individual who is an outstanding Government Documents Librarian and/or an active supporter and advocate for the use of government information in education, research, and/or commerce. Active support of government information access can take the form of presentations, scholarly papers, Web resources, or any other appropriate creative activity. The award recognizes past as well as present government information involvement.
Sponsorship
MARCIVE, Inc., San Antonio, Texas, sponsors the award with a $400 donation to the award recipient each year.
Eligibility
Nominees must work with government information at least 50 percent of their time (as stated in their position description) or at least 50 percent in the Government Documents section of their Library. Individuals who formerly worked with government documents may be eligible if their previous involvement meets the same criteria. All nominees must be a member in good standing of TLA GODORT. The award is not restricted to residents of Texas or professional librarians. An individual may be nominated several times, but is eligible to receive the award only once during her/his career. The winner of the award is expected to attend the GODORT program at the annual TLA Conference to receive the award.
Nomination Procedure
Any TLA member may make nominations, and individuals may nominate themselves for the award. Nominations are to be submitted by February 1 of each year to the chair of the Awards Committee. Nomination information will be available in the fall edition of Lone Star Docs and in TLA CAST no later than November of each year. Nomination forms will also be placed on the TLA GODORT Web Page, and nominations may be placed electronically. The Awards Committee is responsible for placing the applications in the above-mentioned periodicals and on the Web site and for any other advertising which it decides is appropriate.
Awards Committee
The Awards Committee will consist of three GODORT members appointed by the GODORT Chair each year before the TLA Annual Assembly GODORT meeting, and their term of office will be one year. The Awards Committee will select its own chair. Awards Committee members are ineligible for the award the year they serve on the committee.
Selection
A recipient will be selected only when the Awards Committee believes an award is justified. After reviewing all applications each year, the Committee will notify the Chair of GODORT that a selection has been made or that there will be no award given. If an award is to be given, the Committee will send an announcement about the award recipient, appropriate to be used as a press release, to the TLA Office. The Committee will plan a brief awards ceremony and present the award at the TLA Annual Conference during GODORT's annual program. The recipient will receive a plaque and a $400 award from MARCIVE, Inc.
