Outstanding Southeastern Library Program Award

Recognizing Outstanding Programs of Service in SELA Member State Libraries

Nomination Deadline

May 1, 2026

Award Cycle

2025-2026 Biennium

Recipients

One Academic/Special & One Public/School

About the Award

Nominations are now open for the 2026 Southeastern Library Program Award sponsored by the Southeastern Library Association (SELA). The purpose of this award is to recognize an outstanding program of service in one academic/special library AND one public/school library in any SELA state from the 2025-2026 biennium.

Criteria

  • An academic/special library and a public/school library in the member states of SELA may be nominated for an outstanding program of service. Programs of service may include, but are not limited to, library activities, projects, or special programs.
  • The programs of service must take place during the biennium in which the nomination is made (January 2025 - October 2026).
  • The minimum time span for a nominated library program must not be less than three months, including the development and evaluation stages of the program.
  • The person making the nomination must be an active member of SELA.

Contact Information

Melissa Dennis
Outstanding Southeastern Library Program Award Committee Chair
The University of Mississippi
Oxford, Mississippi
mdennis@olemiss.edu

Nomination Form

Nominations are accepted until MAY 1, 2026

Link to Google Form

*You MUST have a Google account to fill out this nomination form. If you do NOT have a Google account, please email Melissa Dennis at mdennis@olemiss.edu to request a nomination form.

Previous Award Winners

  • 1980 Orlando (FL) Public Library - Catch Them in the Cradle
  • 1982 Library Networking Commission (Fairfax, VA) - Consortium for Continuing Education in Northern Virginia
  • 1984 DeKalb Library System (GA) - Tobie Grant Homework Library
  • 1986 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library (NC) - The Imaginative Spirit: Charlotte - Mecklenburg Literary Heritage
  • 1988 Iberia Parish Library (LA) - Iberia Parish's Summer Workshop
  • 1990 Greensboro (NC) Public Library - Community of Readers
  • 1992 Memphis/Shelby County (TN) Public Library and Information Center - JOBLINC
  • 1994 Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (NC) - NOVELLO: Festival of Reading
  • 1996 SEFLIN (FL) - SEFLIN Free-Net
  • 1998 Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library (FL) - National Library Card Sign-Up Month Program
  • 2000 None Awarded
  • 2002 Sequoyah Regional Library System (GA) - Journey Through Prejudice
  • 2004 D.C. Hill Library, North Carolina State University
  • 2006 Birmingham Public Library (AL) - BPL @Your School
  • 2008 Forsyth County Public Library, Winston-Salem, NC
  • 2010 None Awarded
  • 2012 Florence County Library System (SC) - Money Madness Teen Lock-In
  • 2014 Greenville County Library System (SC) - African-American Genealogy Project
  • 2016 Quillen College of Medicine Library, East Tennessee State University - Program to Provide Health Information at Remote Area Clinics
  • 2018 New College of Florida - Jane Bancroft Cook Library - The Cubano-American Community Project
  • 2020 Chattanooga Public Library (NC) - Social Worker Internship
  • 2022 Athens-Clarke County Library System (GA) - One Book Athens
  • 2022 Honorable mention: Piedmont Regional Library System (GA) - PuRL
  • 2024 University of Mississippi Libraries - School Library Symposium
  • 2024 Honorable mention: William F. Laman Public Library (AR) - Prom Shop