Beacon Awards

In 2007, the Innovative Users Group Steering Committee, at the suggestion of many members, created the IUG Beacon Award. The lighthouse was chosen as a symbol and the award was created:

To honor exceptional service to the Innovative Users Community through presentations, collaboration, selfless dedication to libraries as a whole, and sage advice to others via the IUG List. While a great implementation is the product of a great employee, the IUG Beacon Award will acknowledge great community members – people who help others attain greatness and share the knowledge that she/he gained in the process.

The lighthouse was chosen to symbolize: Inspiration, Navigation, Illumination, and Protection.

Winners of the IUG Beacon Award:

2024 (Denver, CO) – Trevor Diamond and Victor Zuniga

2024 (Detroit, MI) – Daniel Messer

2023 (Phoenix, AZ) – Jeremy Goldstein

2022 (Virtual) – Beth Juhl

2021 (Virtual) – Kathy Setter

2020 (Virtual) – Eeva Stierwalt

2019 (Phoenix, AZ) – Karen Perone

2018 (Orlando, FL) – Wes Osborn

2017 (National Harbor, MD) – Brent Searle

2016 (San Francisco, CA) – Sylvia Lee

2015 (Minneapolis, MN) – Carol Gyger

2014 (Detroit, MI) – Martha Rice Sanders

2013 (San Francisco, CA) – Karen Johnson

2012 (Chicago, IL) – Corey Seeman

2011 (San Francisco, CA) – David Jones

2010 (Chicago, IL) – Linda Bills

2009 (Anaheim, CA) – Richard Jackson

2008 (Washington, DC) – Elizabeth Thomsen

2007 (San Jose, CA) – Bob Duncan

2002 (Houston, TX) – Mieko Yamaguchi

Bob, Elizabeth and Mieko at IUG 2008 Conference in Washington, D.C.

How to Nominate

The Beacon Award Selection Committee will solicit nominations from the IUG Community. The committee will select a recipient prior to the IUG Annual Meeting, where the award will be presented. The current IUG Past-Chair serves as the chair of the award committee.

Eligibility

  • Any librarian or staff member at an IUG member library
  • Current IUG Steering Committee and Beacon Award Committee members are ineligible. However, regional officers can be nominated.
  • Previous winners of the award are ineligible.

Number and Frequency of Awards

  • IUG Awards Committee reserves the right to change the number of award winners in any year.
  • The Awards Committee may opt to give the award to one or two recipients during a single year.
  • The Awards Committee may also opt not to present the award at all during a single year.

Selection Committee for IUG Beacon Award

The current IUG Past-Chair serves as Chair of the Awards Committee. Other members include the IUG Secretary/Treasurer, IUG Steering Committee Members-at-Large in their second year of office, and the two most recent IUG Past-Chairs currently at an Innovative library.