Procedures for Selection of Book Donation Awards

Revised January 15 2003

1. The Book Donations Committee(BDC) forwards an updated call for applications to the ALC Webmaster and the editor of the Africana Libraries Newsletter and to the ASA Secretariat. The ASA Secretariat will post the announcement in the January and April issues of ASA News and send to other appropriate listservs.

2. The deadline for applications is 1 June. BDC Members send summer addresses and contact info to BDC Chair by May 1, so that packets can be sent to appropriate addresses and deliberations can occur over the summer despite vacation periods.

3. Applications are sent to the ASA Secretariat. Applications are sent to the ASA Secretariat via mail (or by electronic submission only if all accompanying documents can be sent via e-mail or are on the Web). By June 15th, the ASA Secretariat sends copies of applications received to the ASA Development Board and to the Chair of the BDC along with an electronic record of proposals received. The BDC Chair sends copies to the members of the BDC.

4. ASA Secretariat will notify Book Donations Chair of ASA Development Board fall meeting dates. BDC members confer via snail mail, telephone and e-mail. The BDC Chair sends the recommendations to the ASA Secretariat via e-mail by 30 of September so that ASA Secretariat can distribute complete, hardcopy packets for fall meeting date for board's consideration.

5. The ASA Secretariat distributes the hardcopy of BDC recommendations to the members of the ASA Development Board by 15 October.

6. Board members may send questions or comments to the BDC Chair at any time before the fall Board meeting. The Chair sends such questions or comments to the members of the BDC for e-mail or telephone discussion and resolution.

7. The ASA Development Board formally approves the recommendations at the ASA Annual Meeting.

8. The award letters are drafted by the BDC Chair who forwards them to the ASA Secretariat not later than two weeks after the ASA Annual Meeting. The BDC Chair also drafts letters to the unsuccessful applicants and forwards them as above.

9. The ASA Secretariat sends the letters not later than 6 weeks, and the checks not more than 8 weeks after the ASA Annual Meeting. The awardees also receive an evaluation form with a deadline for a progress report and documentation of the project and its success. Permanent records are kept at the ASA Secretariat.

10. The BDC Chair writes an awards notice for the ASA News and the Africana Libraries Newsletter not later than two weeks after the letters and checks are sent.

11. The award winners file reports with the ASA Secretariat on the completion of projects. The ASA Secretariat sends copies of these reports to the BDC Chair for distribution to the members of the BDC.

12. If reports are not received within six months, the BDC Chair asks recipients for progress reports and follows-up as necessary and appropriate.