IPSWICH, Mass. — January 8, 2025 — The American Library Association (ALA) is now accepting submissions for the 2025 John Cotton Dana Award (JCD). The John Cotton Dana Award is one of the most prestigious awards given to up to eight libraries for outstanding library public relations. The $10,000 awards will be provided by the H.W. Wilson Foundation and honors the best library marketing efforts nationwide. Applications for the JCD Award should be submitted electronically and received by March 3, 2025.
Libraries of all types and sizes are encouraged to submit entries for a John Cotton Dana Award. Entries may be submitted by any library, Friends group, consulting agency or service provider, unless they are represented on the JCD committee. Entries should showcase a strategic communications campaign from the past year, such as rebranding, promoting archives, awareness initiatives, community partnerships, or special events. Highlighting innovation, marketing, and new technologies while clearly outlining your goals reflects the key elements of winning campaigns.
Submission documentation is expected to show the scope and effectiveness of the campaign. Entries for the John Cotton Dana Award are organized around needs assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation. Examples of these documents may include initial assessments and research, processes for implementation, goals met, creative output, media releases, media coverage and other metrics that establish results.
The awards are managed by Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures (Core), a division of ALA. All John Cotton Dana Award judges are associated with the Core division. Up to eight winners from libraries with a wide range of budgets, both large and small, will be selected and honored at the ALA’s Annual Conference in June 2025.
For more information, including entry documents, visit the JCD Awards website. The 2025 John Cotton Dana Award winners will be announced in June 2025 by ALA and EBSCO Information Services.
About the John Cotton Dana Award
The John Cotton Dana Award was inaugurated by The H.W. Wilson Company at the 1946 annual conference of the American Library Association. It was named after John Cotton Dana (1856-1929), a librarian called the father of the modern library. The Awards are funded by the H.W. Wilson Foundation.
About the H.W. Wilson Foundation
The Foundation was established by Halsey W. Wilson in 1952 to support the needs of company employees and retirees. Since 1957, The H.W. Wilson Foundation has focused on providing financial assistance to causes having the greatest impact on improving the spirit, mind and body of the greatest number of people through aid, support and cooperation with charitable, benevolent, educational and religious institutions. Major donors to the Foundation included Mr. and Mrs. H.W. Wilson, and the H.W. Wilson Company.
About Core: Leadership, Infrastructure Futures
Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures is the national association that advances the profession of librarians and information providers in central roles of leadership and management, collections and technical services, and technology. Our mission is to cultivate and amplify the collective expertise of library workers in core functions through community building, advocacy, and learningCore is a Division of the American Library Association. Follow us on our Blog, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is a leading provider of online research content and cutting-edge search technologies serving libraries, healthcare and medical institutions, corporations, and government agencies worldwide. As an AI-enabled services leader, EBSCO offers comprehensive solutions from research, acquisition management, subscription services and discovery services to clinical decision support and patient care, learning, and research and development. EBSCO provides institutions with access to content and resources to serve the information and workflow needs of their users and organizations. Our commitment to AI-driven innovation positions EBSCO at the forefront of the industry, enabling us to meet the evolving needs of the information services landscape. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com. Visit our blog at EBSCOpost or follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
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For more information, please contact:
Briana Peters
Communications Specialist
bpeters@ebsco.com
978-414-0277
