Libraries earn award as top in country

IU-Bloomington Libraries is the top university library in the country, according to its peers at the Association of College and Research Libraries.

The association, made up of more than 12,000 academic librarians and other interested individuals, announced Tuesday that IU-Bloomington is the winner of the Excellence in Academic Libraries Award in the university division.

IU will receive $3,000 from YBP Library Services, and the president of the association will make a presentation at a public reception this spring.

The award is annual and recognizes the accomplishments of librarians and library staff who work to achieve the mission of their institution.

IU has implemented several projects, such as digitizing books and providing easier access to online journals. The library is also leading a project to create software to manage materials.

Librarians also help faculty members publish online journals so they can meet their scholarly goals as well as provide open access to their work.

“At a time when the nature of libraries is changing so swiftly and dramatically, this award is welcome recognition that we are not only responding to these changes in a positive way but also leading by example,” said Carolyn Walters, interim Ruth Lilly Dean of University Libraries, in a press release.

The research collections in Bloomington include more than 6.6 million books and materials in more than 350 languages to support every academic discipline on the Bloomington campus. The collections also include journals, maps, films and sound recordings.