About the Award

We present an annual award to State library agencies that have excelled in the completeness, promptness, and high quality of the local public library data that they collect, edit, and submit annually.

The award is presented annually at the training conference. It is in the form of a working abacus with an appropriate plaque and is given to the Chief Officer of the State library agency and to the State Data Coordinator. Second and subsequent year recipients receive a brass plate engraved with the year to add to their abacus. 

The Francis Keppel Award is named after a distinguished U.S. Commissioner of Education who served from 1962 to 1965. He was also a well-known member of the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science from 1978 to 1983. Francis Keppel was an early and enthusiastic advocate of reliable and regularly reported national, State, and local library statistics that would provide a basis for public policy formulation and the improvement of library services for the entire spectrum of the U.S. population.

Criteria

Download the award criteria by submission group (PDF, 154 KB). Points are awarded based on date of data submission and length of time to respond to edits.

Winners