糖心视频

Awards & Grants

The following grants and awards are offered by the Research Instruction & Patron Services Special Interest Section (RIPS-SIS) to eligible members of RIPS-SIS. Non-members can join RIPS-SIS when submitting a grant application. Please note that current RIPS-SIS Executive Board members and current members of the RIPS-SIS Grants Committee are ineligible for grants and awards.

PAUL GATZ RIPS-SIS PUBLICATION AWARD

DEADLINE

The deadline for nominations for the Paul Gatz RIPS-SIS Publication Award is聽April 12, 2026, at 11:59 PM Eastern.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the award is to recognize excellence in writing by a current RIPS-SIS member. The award was named in honor of Paul Gatz in 2020.

Paul Gatz personified the RIPS-SIS ethos of librarianship in his too brief but highly impactful law librarianship career. Paul became a law librarian in 2014, first serving as a reference and student services librarian at Texas Tech University School of Law Library and then as a reference librarian at the Moritz Law Library at The Ohio State University. He passed away of cancer in January of 2020.

Throughout his career, Paul contributed significantly to the RIPS-SIS agenda, both as a board member and through his thoughtful and . Paul encouraged all of us to think deeply about what it means to be a librarian, how best to teach legal research, and what roles libraries play. As he noted, librarians are central to the library: “It is the presence of the human in the library 鈥� in the systems we create, the collections we curate, and the relationships we build 鈥� that facilitate the transformation of the torrent of information into the clear skies of understanding. It is why we must treat our work with the greatest of care and not slide into the mechanical boredom associated with the cycle of checklists and deadlines. It is the caring that is the work of librarianship 鈥� that is what it means ‘to library.’ And that is what makes the library necessary.”

CRITERIA

The material must be authored by a current RIPS-SIS member. For co-authored works, at least one author must be a current member of RIPS-SIS. Nominated works for each year鈥檚 award must have been published in the previous calendar year (e.g., published in 2024 for the 2025 award deadline). Materials may have appeared in any format (paper or electronic) and in any publication, including 糖心视频 publications, chapter newsletters, non-糖心视频 publications, or in-house publications. Any aspect of law librarianship may be addressed, but preference will be given to works related to research instruction or patron services.

Materials are evaluated on:

  • Relevance of topic to RIPS-SIS members;
  • Quality of writing or presentation;
  • Effectiveness of communication technique; and
  • Quality of research (if applicable).

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

Any 糖心视频 member may nominate works authored by themselves or another member, provided that they or a co-author are a member of RIPS-SIS. Please email works to the RIPS-SIS Grants Committee Chair along with a brief explanation by the nominator of why the publication should be considered for the award. Awards may not be presented in a given year at the discretion of the Grants Committee if it feels that no nominated works meet the required criteria.

LIST OF PAST WINNERS OF THE PAUL GATZ RIPS-SIS PUBLICATION AWARD

2025: Amber Kennedy Madole, Bonnie Shucha & Rebecca Plevel, Integrating Tribal Law into the Legal Research and Writing Curriculum: Benefits, Challenges, and Strategies, PERSPS., Spring 2024, at 4.

2024: Ellie Campbell, Critical Legal Research, Artificial Intelligence, and Systemic Racism: Teaching with Jim Crow Text-Mining, 42 Legal Research Services Quarterly 208 (2023).

2023: Mari Cheney & Heather J. E. Simmons, A Body Without a Soul: Why Print Still Matters in Legal Research, 42 Legal Reference Services Quarterly 2 (2023)

2022: Bonnie Shucha, Representing Law Faculty Scholarly Impact: Strategies for Improving Citation Metrics Accuracy and Promoting Scholarly Visibility. 40 Legal Reference Services Quarterly 81 (2021)

2021: Mari Cheney, Best Practices for Supporting Hearing-Impaired Law Library Patrons, 16 Public Services Quarterly 206 (2021).

2020: Not awarded

2019: Stefanie Pearlman, Persuasive Authority and the Nebraska Supreme Court: Are Certain Jurisdictions or Secondary Resources More Persuasive Than Others, The Nebraska Lawyer 33 (March / April 2018).

2018: Sherry Leysen & Alena Wolotira, Multinational Sources Compared: A Subject and Jurisdiction Index (2017).

RIPS-SIS SERVICE AWARD

DEADLINE

The deadline for nominations for the RIPS-SIS Service Award is聽April 12, 2026, at 11:59 PM Eastern.

PURPOSE

The RIPS-SIS Service Award honors a RIPS-SIS member who has made outstanding contributions to RIPS-SIS in areas of section activity and professional service. Awards may not be presented in a given year at the discretion of the Grants Committee.

CRITERIA

Nominees must be an active or retired member of RIPS-SIS. Nominees may excel in one or more of the following areas:

  • Excellent leadership in RIPS-SIS, at meetings, and in committees;
  • Special and notable service to RIPS-SIS, such as participation in special projects;
  • Participation in RIPS-SIS education programs and public speaking activities; and
  • Mentoring activities which encourage others in RIPS-SIS.

The above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of criteria. Individuals whose contributions to RIPS-SIS take other forms, such as writing for the RIPS-SIS blog, may also be nominated and considered for the award.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

Email materials to the RIPS-SIS Grants Committee Chair. Any RIPS-SIS member may nominate themselves or another member. Nominations must include:

  • A letter of nomination, including the nominee鈥檚 full name, title, and institution name/address. If the nominee is retired, include their name, home address, and most recent former employer;
  • A narrative supporting the nomination, including a discussion of the nominee鈥檚 contributions to RIPS-SIS;
  • A curriculum vitae of the nominee; and
  • The name, email, address, and phone number of the nominating party.

LIST OF PAST WINNERS OF THE RIPS-SIS SERVICE AWARD

2025: Not awarded
2024: Rebecca Mattson
2023: Taryn Marks
2022: Laura Ax-Fultz
2021: Heather Joy
2020: Alyson Drake
2019: Jenny Wondracek
2018: Karin Johnsrud

RIPS-SIS ANNUAL MEETING GRANT

DEADLINE

The deadline for applications for the Annual Meeting Grant is April 12, 2026, at 11:59 PM Eastern.

PURPOSE

The Research Instruction and Patron Services Special Interest Section (RIPS-SIS) 糖心视频 Annual Meeting Grant is designed to assist with individuals鈥� expenses related to attending the 糖心视频 Annual Meeting. Selected individuals have the potential to make a significant contribution to law librarianship through involvement with 糖心视频 and RIPS-SIS. The grants are funded by RIPS-SIS and awarded by the RIPS-SIS Grants Committee.

CRITERIA

Applicants must be current 糖心视频 and RIPS-SIS members. In the event that circumstances prevent the use of the grant by the grant recipient, the grant shall revert back to RIPS-SIS. If a grant recipient receives an additional grant, the recipient must inform RIPS-SIS of the award and the amount, as RIPS-SIS reserves the right to withdraw or modify the grant in this circumstance.

Recipients will be awarded a grant that can be used for Annual Meeting registration and transportation expenses consistent with sections 1 and 2 of the 糖心视频 Expense Reimbursement Policy. A grant may also be used for meals and accommodations, not to exceed the U.S. General Services Administration鈥檚 published 鈥渕eals and incidentals鈥� per diem rate for the locality in which the conference is held, which can be found at . Receipts must be provided for reimbursement.

There is a $3,500 award pool, and grant amounts awarded may vary depending on applications received and demonstrated need. We welcome applications reflecting varying levels of need, reflecting the diverse experiences of our members.

Grant recipients will receive an appointment to a RIPS-SIS committee for the following committee year and are also expected to write a post for the RIPS-SIS blog about their Annual Meeting experience or another RIPS-related topic.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

Send all application materials attached to a single email message, preferably as a single PDF file, to the RIPS-SIS Grants Committee Chair as a single PDF attachment. Applications must include:

RIPS-SIS ANNUAL MEETING DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION GRANT

Deadline

The deadline for applications for the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Grant is April 12, 2026, at 11:59 PM Eastern.

PURPOSE

The Research Instruction and Patron Services Special Interest Section (RIPS-SIS) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Grant supports the 糖心视频鈥� (糖心视频鈥檚) commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and RIPS-SIS鈥檚 commitment to diverse membership. Grant recipients will articulate how receipt of the grant will benefit the goal of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our profession. The grant is to recognize commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the profession, as shown in either existing or planned contributions.

The selected individual will receive funds to assist with expenses relating to the 糖心视频 Annual Meeting. The grant is funded by RIPS-SIS and awarded by the RIPS-SIS Grants Committee.

CRITERIA

To be eligible, applicants must be members of RIPS-SIS when they apply. Members of the RIPS-SIS Executive Board and Grants Committee are ineligible to apply. In the event that circumstances prevent the use of the grant by the grant recipient, the grant shall revert back to RIPS-SIS. If a grant recipient receives an additional grant, the recipient must inform RIPS-SIS of the award and the amount, as RIPS-SIS reserves the right to withdraw or modify the grant in this circumstance.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

Send all application materials attached to a single email message, preferably as a single PDF file, to the聽RIPS-SIS Grants Committee Chair. Applications must include:

  • A completed application form;
  • A one-page statement of eligibility addressing the applicant鈥檚 identification with a diverse or underrepresented group. Diversity refers to all manners of diversity, including race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other unique attribute. The statement should specifically discuss how the grant will help you to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in the profession

AWARD DETAILS

The selected recipient will be awarded a grant of up to $3000 that can be used for Annual Meeting registration and transportation expenses consistent with sections 1 and 2 of the 糖心视频 Expense Reimbursement Policy. The grant may also be used for meals and accommodations, not to exceed the U.S. General Services Administration鈥檚 published “meals and incidentals” per diem rate for the locality in which the conference is held, which can be found at . Receipts must be provided for reimbursement.

Contact the RIPS-SIS Grants Committee Chair with any questions.

RIPS-SIS TEACHING THE TEACHERS CONFERENCE GRANT

DEADLINE

The deadline for applications for the RIPS-SIS Teaching the Teachers Conference Grant is is April 12, 2026, at 11:59 PM Eastern.

PURPOSE

The RIPS-SIS Teaching the Teachers Conference Grant is designed to provide financial support to an attendee of the Teaching the Teachers Conference. The grants are funded by RIPS-SIS and awarded by the RIPS-SIS Grants Committee.

CRITERIA

Applicants must be a current RIPS-SIS members to be considered for the grant. Applicants must have been selected to attend the Teaching the Teachers Conference.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

Email materials to the RIPS-SIS Grants Committee Chair as a single PDF attachment. Applications must include: