Best of Chapters Award Committee Annual Report 2022

submitted by Lynne Jaffe

Current Roster

  • Lynne Jaffe, Chair (2023)
  • Catherine Hammer, 2nd chair (2024)
  • Victoria Peters, 3rd chair (2025)

List of Previous Goals and Progress Made

  1. Regularly review the rubric for necessary updates.
    • The committee reviewed the rubric and did not see any changes that were necessary to be made at this time.
  2. Maintain a longer meeting time at the national conference.
    • Had an 85 minute presentation at the virtual national conference in 2022.
    • Have requested an 85 minute presentation slot for the national conference in 2023 to once again allow for the presentation of 2 papers.
  3. Discuss the pros and cons of sharing rubric with chapter chairs during the nomination process.
    • As of this year, the committee has not discussed this.

List of Future Goals

  1. Evaluate including diversity as part of the evaluation rubric for future awards.
    • Goal Area 3. The current strategic plan for MLA has an emphasis on diversity in music librarianship is an important goal of the organization. As a committee that reflects the scholarship in the chapters, we should also try to highlight research in these fields as much as possible.
    • It is unclear whether or not this would ostracize papers on topics other than diversity and whether or not it might create an unfair advantage solely based on subject matter. Hence the necessity of the discussion.
  2. Discuss the pros and cons of sharing the current rubric with chapter chairs during the call for nominations.
    • Goal Area 1. This goal may be related to organizational communication as well as vitality. This goal would give opportunities to some of our smaller chapters to select not just the best paper, but also one most likely to make it to the national stage, thus highlighting chapters that may not normally get the spotlight.
    • May create an unfair advantage especially if it may change which papers are submitted. However, may allow for the most relevant papers to be submitted, thus creating better competition. A discussion needs to address these pros and cons appropriately.
  3. Improve committee communication.
    • Goal Area 1. Once again, this could be related to organizational vitality and excellence. By improving when and how we communicate, our committee will have a stronger impact on the organization as a whole.
    • The committee only has discussions via email. We do not have virtual meetings, phone calls, or any other kind of communication at this time. It is in the committee’s best interest to have a discussion before the nomination process is announced to review the operations of the committee, its members, and the rubric to ensure that the committee doesn’t stagnate and that there is consistency during the review process.
    • A structured committee timeline is being created by the chair to facilitate this.