The Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT) of the American Library Association has chosen Melissa Bowles-Terry (MS '09), associate director of the Faculty Center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as the 2020 recipient of the LIRT Librarian Recognition Award. The Librarian Recognition Award was created to recognize an individual's contribution to the development, advancement and support of information literacy and instruction.
Bowles-Terry began her career at the University of Wyoming Libraries and is the former head of educational initiatives at UNLV Libraries. A tenured member of the library faculty, she currently coordinates programming to support faculty teaching, research and career development. She is also a member of the Association of College and Research Libraries Immersion faculty, a national training program for librarians who teach and assess student learning. Her scholarly work has been significant, including a co-authored book (Classroom Assessment Techniques for Librarians, ACRL 2015) and an article in College & Research Libraries that was selected as one of LIRT's Top Twenty articles for 2016. Her service to the profession has been extensive and impactful; her work as chair of the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA) Student Learning Outcomes Task Force has been especially notable for making an impact on member institutions and supplying a model upon which other institutions are basing their own assessment initiatives. The Awards Committee made particular note of the strength of her nomination letters, which praised her dedication to the profession, her service and excellent research.
In response to learning of the award, Bowles-Terry shared the following statement: "I'm so grateful to my colleagues for nominating me for this award and pleased that the work we've done at UNLV in the realm of library instruction merits the attention of the profession. I'm honored to be the award recipient this year and hope to continue to learn and grow with my friends and fellow librarians who are working to enhance information literacy."
The Library Instruction Round Table was started in 1977 with the intent to bring together librarians who provide library instruction across all types of libraries–academic, public, school, and special. 2020 marks the seventh year the Librarian Recognition Award has been awarded. Melissa Bowles-Terry will be presented with a $1,000 cash prize and a plaque commemorating the award.