Awards

The GSLIS honors outstanding students with five awards during its June graduation, including (1) the Laurie Fisher Memorial Award for Academic Excellence, (2) the Karen Patricia Smith Award, (3) the Karen Ruzycki Award for Exceptional Services, (4) the Lucille Thomas Outstanding Future School Librarian Award, and (5) the Professor David Cohen Multicultural Award. The GSLIS Admissions, Academic Standing and Student Affairs (AASSA) Committee will request nominations for these awards from the full faculty in each spring semester. All nominations will be reviewed by the AASSA Committee, which will present qualified nominees to the full faculty for consideration and final selection. GSLIS students may also be interested in applying for GSLIS scholarships.

Laurie Fisher Memorial Award for Academic Excellence

GSLIS initiated this award in 1977. It is funded by the Laurie Fisher Memorial Endowment Fund, established by the Krumholz family in memory of their daughter Mrs. Loretta Fisher who graduated from the program in 1969. Mrs. Fisher’s specialization was school media, and she was a school librarian at Public School 9 in Brooklyn.

The award is given annually to the graduate who has achieved the highest grade point average (GPA) and exhibited superior intellectual ability in the program.

Past Recipients:

Karen P. Smith Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award

Dr. Karen P. Smith, a retired GSLIS professor, established this award in 2009 to be given annually to a graduating student who has demonstrated evidence of scholarly commitment and excellence in children’s and/or young adult literature.

Past Recipients:

Karen A. Ruzycki Award for Exceptional Service

This award recognizes a student who has shown dedication to their studies and has significantly and positively assisted other students during their academic career at the GSLIS.

Past Recipients:

Lucille Thomas Outstanding Future School Librarian Award

This award is named to honor Lucille Cole Thomas, a former instructor in GSLIS, for her extraordinary contributions to the passion for learning of children and youth, for her untiring advocacy for school libraries, and for giving us School Library Media Day and National School Library Media Month.

This award recognizes the library media specialist graduate who best exemplifies pro-activity in practice and academic merit.

Past Recipients:

David Cohen Multicultural Award

David Cohen, a native New Yorker, received the Masters in Library Science and the Certificate in Advanced Librarianship from Columbia University. Professor Cohen’s contributions to the field have embraced a career of over fifty years of practice, teaching, formal presentations, and research. As a tireless pioneer in multicultural librarianship, David Cohen has raised the consciousness of his fellow professionals about the need to serve all the peoples of our ethnically and culturally diverse society.

This award is presented to the graduate who has demonstrated the greatest promise in fulfilling the principles of multiculturalism within the library and information science profession.

Past Recipients:

Alum of the Year Award

This award is presented to an alumnus who, as a professional librarian, has made a significant contribution to the field and who represents the highest ideals of the profession.

Selection: The GSLIS AASSA Committee will request nominations for this award from the full faculty and GSLIS alumni community in each spring semester. All nominations will be reviewed by the AASSA Committee, which will present qualified nominees to the full faculty for consideration and final selection. The award recipient will be officially announced during the GSLIS graduation ceremony in June. A person may receive this award only once in her/his lifetime.

Past Recipients:


Mordine Mallory Award for Diversity in Archival Studies

This award is to be given in memory of Mordine Mallory, first librarian for the Queens College SEEK program and an early contributor to Black and ethnic studies on campus. 

The award is given to a student who demonstrates support for diversity, equity, and inclusion in Archival Studies and engagement with intersections between Archival Studies and social justice.

Past recipients:


GSLIS Award for Excellence in Archival Studies 

This award is funded by the Oliver Sacks Foundation. It is given annually to a student who demonstrates academic excellence in archival studies during their coursework at GSLIS. Nominations for this award are made by the GSLIS faculty.

Past recipients: