Outstanding Contribution to Information Behavior Research Award

Nominations due July 23, 2023!

The SIG USE Award for Outstanding Contributions to Information Behavior Research was established in 2005 and is administered by the SIG USE Awards Committee.

1. Nature of the Award

1.1 The award shall consist of a certificate and a cheque for $500 to be presented to the winner by the SIG USE Awards Co-chairs at the SIG USE Symposium of the ASIS&T annual meeting.

1.2 The winner shall be given the opportunity to make a brief acceptance speech at the SIG USE Symposium.

2. Purpose of the Award

2.1 The purpose of the award is to recognize an individual for their outstanding contribution to information behavior research. The award is intended to be for achievements that have had a significant impact in the field.

2.2 Scope: The award is for a systematic program of research at the level of a lifetime’s work.

3. Eligibility

3.1 Persons who have made a significant contribution to information behavior research are eligible for the award.

3.2 The award is to be made to an individual, not an organization.

3.3 Persons who have received the Award in the past are not eligible in future years.

4. Administration

The SIG USE Award for Outstanding Contributions to Information Behavior Research is sponsored by SIG USE and is administered by the Awards Co-chairs.

5. Nominations

5.1 Nominations for the award shall be sought annually from the SIG USE membership by the SIG USE Award Co-chairs. Nominations may be submitted by any member of SIG USE, including members of the SIG USE Executive Committee.

5.2 Nominations will be solicited through the SIG USE and ASIS&T Listservs, as well as SIG USE media, such as the Twitter and Facebook account.

5.3 The nomination package shall consist of the following:

(a) Nominating letter (1-2 pages), stating why the candidate deserves the award;

(b) The name, address, and phone number of the person making the nomination;

(d) Supporting documents including the nominee’s CV, up to two letters of support, and up to two publications that most reflect the nominee’s research contributions or impact.

5.4 Any nominees not selected in a particular year will automatically be retained in the candidate pool for the next two years.

6. Jury Committee

6.1 A jury composed of two past SIG USE Chairs and one previous Award winner will be formed to select the winner of the SIG USE Award for Outstanding Contributions to Information Behavior Research.

6.2 Each member of the Jury shall be appointed for a term of two years.

6.3 If a Jury member is a nominee for the award then this individual will be excused from the Jury.

6.4 Members of the Jury may not be reappointed to a successive two-year term.

7. Selection of the Awardee

7.1 The Jury member(s) thus assigned shall:

(a) Independently review the nomination statements;

(b) Independently complete a scoring rubric;

7.2 Each member of the Jury shall rank all nominees in order, with the first choice ranked 1, the second 2, etc.

7.3 The Awards Co-chairs shall total all the rankings and declare the recipient to be the nominee with the lowest total rank.

7.4 In the event that no nominee can be declared the winner, the Awards Co-chairs shall announce the result to the Jury and repeat the polling of the Jury until a single awardee is determined.

7.5 The Awards Co-chairs shall communicate the Jury’s decision to the current SIG USE Chair.

7.6 The Awards Co-chairs shall provide a 50-250 words abstract, stating why the award was given. This abstract will be used to publicize the award. Material for this abstract can be taken from the scoring rationales provided by the members of the Jury and the contents of the nomination packages.

8. Presentation of the Award

The award shall be presented at the SIG USE Symposium of the ASIS&T Annual Meeting; with the cooperation of the Symposium Chair(s), the honoree may make a brief acceptance speech.

9. Publicity

The award shall be publicized through the ASIS&T and SIG USE Listservs and the SIG USE website.

10. Deadlines

10.1 The Jury Committee shall be assembled in June 2023.

10.2 Nominations must be submitted via email to the Awards Co-Chairs by the deadline of Sunday, July 23, 2023. All nominations submitted shall be acknowledged upon receipt.

10.3 Selection shall be made and the SIG USE Executive and Awardee shall be notified by September 30, 2023.

Past winners of the Outstanding Contribution to Information Behavior Research Award are:

2022, Jenna Hartel
2021, Lisa Given
2020, Heidi Julien
2019, Soo Young Rieh
2018, Denise Agosto
2017, Dania Bilal
2016, Karen Fisher
2015, Sanda Erdelez
2014, Gary Marchionini
2013, Nick Belkin
2012, Pertti Vakkari
2011, Donald Case
2010, Barbara Wildemuth
2009, Tom Wilson
2008, Reijo Savolainen
2007, Brenda Dervin
2006, Carol Kuhlthau
2005, Marcia Bates