Boatwright Memorial Library is pleased to offer two awards for graduating seniors.
James W. Jackson Award for Excellence in Library Research in the Social Sciences
Created in 1983 to honor James W. Jackson, the University’s social science and documents librarian from 1974-1983, this annual award recognizes and encourages excellence in the use of library research skills in the social sciences. Based on faculty nominations, the award is given to outstanding research projects completed by upper division students in social science classes which demonstrate an effective use of research materials and thoughtful command of those resources.
Purpose and Eligibility
The purpose of the award is to recognize and encourage excellence in the use of library research skills in the social sciences (Economics & Management, Education, Environmental Studies, Global Studies, History, School of Leadership Studies, Journalism, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies).
Upper division students are eligible, based on a research project completed during the spring semester of the academic year or during the calendar year. Papers previously submitted are ineligible.
The winning paper should demonstrate a depth and breadth of effective use of research materials in the social sciences and clear evidence of thoughtful command of these resources. Excellent research projects which do not make significant use of library research materials (e.g., experimental projects) cannot, regrettably, be considered. Undergraduate honors theses are not eligible for the Jackson Award.
Procedure
Nominations must be made by a faculty member. Each faculty member may nominate one or two students by submitting their research paper(s). The deadline for submission will be announced during the Spring semester.
Please submit all papers via e-mail to JacksonAward@richmond.edu. No written recommendation required; just attach the paper in PDF or Word format. Make sure to include the student’s name.
Modlin Book Award
Boatwright Memorial Library is delighted to award an annual prize of $1000 for an outstanding book collection conceived and built by a senior student at the University of Richmond.
Interested senior students should submit their entry via email to ModinAward@richmond.edu by Friday, 9 April, 2021.
Entries must include:
- Personal information: your name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address.
- An essay of no more than 1500 words describing the objective, history, and direction of your collection.
- A bibliography of at least 20, but no more than 50, items in the collection arranged by author, date, or another principle of your choice. Entries should follow a standard citation format.
- A wish list of the three books you would most like to add to your book collection, explaining your reasoning.
The winning collection must be more than a list of texts: it will be a chosen group of printed or manuscript items, creatively put together. The collection must have been started by the student, and all items in the collection must be owned by them. A collection may include printed books, manuscripts, zines, and/or ephemera; it may be organized by theme, author, illustrator, publisher, printing technique, binding style, or another clearly articulated principle.
The prize will be a check for $1000.00 and a certificate of recognition. Sample items from the winning collection, curated by the student, may be exhibited in Boatwright Library. The recipient will be acknowledged in the Commencement Program, and their name will also be added George Matthews Modlin Award for Student Book Collections winners list on display in Boatwright Memorial Library.
The essay has the honor of representing the University of Richmond in the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest, organized by The Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA), the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies (FABS), the Grolier Club, and the Center for the Book and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division (Library of Congress). Please note that per the ABAA’s contest rules, the winning essay will be entered exactly as submitted to the George Matthews Modlin Award for Student Book Collections contest, without possibility of revision.
For more information, please contact Lynda Kachurek, Head Rare Books and Special Collections, Boatwright Memorial Library at (804) 289-8458 or email ModlinAward@richmond.edu.
The George Matthews Modlin Award for Student Book Collections was established by the faculty of the University of Richmond in 1971 to honor Dr. George M. Modlin upon his retirement as president of the University of Richmond and to encourage undergraduate students to develop focused collections of books pertaining to their particular areas of interest. Collections are eligible for the award only during the student’s senior year.
~ Lynda Kachurek, Head of Rare Books and Special Collections