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• 2026 CALA Best Book Award: Call for Nominations 美国华人图书馆员协会2026最佳图书奖提名征集

  • Start
    02/10/2026
  •  
    12:00 AM
  • End
    03/15/2026
  •  
    11:59 PM

  Books must be published between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025. 所提名的图书必须在 2025 年 1 月 1 日至 2025 年 12 月 31 日期间出版。

  Nomination deadline: March 15, 2026. 提名截止日期：2026年3月15日。

  Postmark deadline for nominated books: April 1, 2026. 提名图书邮戳截止日期：2026年4月1日。

  If you want to know more about the nomination, please go to our Call for Nomination page for detail. If you want to nominate a book, please fill out the following form: 

  如需了解更多关于如何提名的信息，请点击征集提名网页。如需现在提名，请点击如下链接提交表格：

  点此提交 Nomination Form

  
  

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• Call for Application: The 2026 CALA Jing Liao Award for the Best Research

  • Start
    02/24/2026
  •  
    12:00 AM
  • End
    03/31/2026
  •  
    11:59 PM

  Dear CALA members,

  The CALA Best Research Awards Subcommittee (2025-2026) is pleased to announce that the 2026 CALA Jing Liao Award for the Best Research is now open for application. Please see the call for application as follows.

  Call for Application – 2026 CALA Jing Liao Award for the Best Research

  Deadline: Tuesday, March 31, 2026

  CALA Best Research Awards Subcommittee (2025-2026) now invites CALA members to submit their research works published between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025 for the competition of the 2026 CALA Jing Liao Award for the Best Research.

  Jing Liao (1954-2011), a long-time CALA member and a devoted and accomplished librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was a perfect exemplar of the pursuit of excellence in research and service in her career. Honoring the memory of Jing Liao, the establishment of this memorial fund encourages CALA members to achieve excellence in research relating to information science and library-related fields.

  CALA members in good standing for three consecutive years are eligible to apply for a $500USD cash award.

  *There is no supplemental travel fund available for the 2026 cycle. The winner is encouraged to apply for CALA Conference Travel Grant if they wish to receive the award in person at the 2026 ALA/CALA Annual Conference (June 25–29, 2026 in Chicago, IL).

  CALA Best Research Awards Subcommittee (2025-2026) will use the Guidelines for Jing Liao Award Application and Selection below to evaluate the research works submitted by CALA members, and ensure a fair and transparent process. The CALA Jing Liao Award for the Best Research Committee is charged with the task of calling for applications and selecting a work that best fits the criteria for the award.

  Guidelines for Application:

  Qualified CALA members who are willing to apply for the Award should follow this new guideline for the competition:

  • A cash award of $500USD will be granted to the author(s) of the winning publication;
  •  Applicants must be CALA members in good standing for three (3) consecutive years, including the award year;
  • Applicants must demonstrate excellence in scholarly research by publishing peer-reviewed publications (online or in print), including books, book chapters, conference proceedings, e-journals, and Open Access journals, focusing on the fields of Library and Information Sciences.
  • Applicants may submit one work, in either English or Chinese, published in the previous year for consideration;
  • The first author of the research publication must not be a past recipient of the award.
  • If multiple authors are included for the submitted publication, the applicant must be the first author (primary project lead) and fulfills the requirement above.

  Selection Criteria:

  The following criteria will be used to evaluate and select the best research works received:

  • Scholarly value: This criterion assesses the extent to which research work has demonstrated more creative ideas, new discoveries, meaningful impact, and innovative approaches that advance Library and Information Science (LIS) research.
  • Research focus: This criterion evaluates whether the author has the expertise, experience, and skills needed to effectively address the identified research topics
  • Range and scope of research: This criterion measures how broad and comprehensive the researcher’s perspectives and ideas as reflected in the work.
  • Methodology: This criterion examines whether the study utilizes a sound and appropriate method that supports credible and accountable conclusions, for example, by clearly linking the target population to the selected sample in a quantitative analysis.
  • Discovery: This criterion examines whether the submission offers new insights, findings, or implications that distinguish it from previous research in the same fields.
  • Influence: This criterion measures the study’s potential to inform practice, shape future research inquiries, or additional studies in related fields.

  Application Package:

  A complete application must consist of the following documents:

  1. A short cover letter that includes a statement of your CALA membership history and current status;
  2. A full text of your publication;
  3. A complete citation of your publication in either Chicago, or APA, or MLA style, including the DOI link or URL if available;
  4. A recent curriculum vitae (CV).

  Application Deadline: Tuesday, March 31, 2026

  This is the deadline for eligible CALA members to submit their research works for the CALA Jing Liao Award for the Best Research published between January 1 to December 31, 2025. After approval by the CALA executive board, the award will be announced in June 2026.

  How to apply:

  Please submit the application package as one single PDF document including all the required application documents to best-research-chair@cala-web.org by Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

  Sincerely,

  CALA Best Research Awards Subcommittee (2025-2026)

  Yali Feng

  Yanling Liu

  Jinxuan Ma (Co-Chair)

  Wei Zhang (Co-chair)

  Meingjie Zou

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• Call for Application - 2026 CALA Sheila Suen Lai Research Grant

  • Start
    02/24/2026
  •  
    12:00 AM
  • End
    03/31/2026
  •  
    11:59 PM

  Dear CALA members,

  The CALA Best Research Awards Subcommittee (2025-2026) is pleased to announce that the 2026 CALA Sheila Suen Lai Research Grant is now open for application. See the call for application as follows.

  Call for Application – 2026 CALA Sheila Suen Lai Research Grant

  Deadline: Tuesday, March 31, 2026

  Purpose:

  The purpose of the Sheila Suen Lai Research Grant (hereinafter ‘Lai’s Grant’) is to encourage CALA members to engage in research activities that contribute to the library and information science, with a particular emphasis on Chinese American Librarianship.

  An award of $1,000USD will be granted to the winner(s). Lai’s Grant may be used for conducting research projects, attending research-related conferences and workshops, developing research workshops and programs, assisting with research writing, or other activities consistent with the purpose of the award. Lai’s Grant shall not be used for personal purposes or to attend professional association conferences, such as ALA or CALA.

  The expectation of Grant Recipient:

  1. The award recipient shall receive an electronic certificate upon request after the award is announced
  2. The award recipient shall submit a final report to CALA’s Executive Director detailing the outcome and performance of the specific project within one month of the project completion.
  3. The award recipient shall actively participate in CALA activities, programs, and events.
  4. The award recipient shall be a CALA member for at least five consecutive years from the date of the award.
  5. The award recipient shall volunteer for CALA committees and taskforces.
  6. The monetary award will be awarded after the awardee has fulfilled the required obligations.
  7. The award recipient shall contribute their time and talents to CALA.
  8. The award recipient shall acknowledge CALA’s support in their work (e.g., reports, presentations, articles.)
  9. The award recipient shall present the project at the CALA annual meeting or at chapter meetings.

  Eligible applicants for Lai’s Grant must:

  1. Be a current CALA member in good standing
  2. Have at least an MLS degree
  3. Be currently employed in a professional-level position
  4. Have been a CALA member for at least one year prior to submitting an application
  5. Maintain CALA membership throughout the award period
  6. Not have received any other CALA grant or award in the same year as the Lai’s Grant

  Proposal Statement:

  A good statement of the proposal should include:

  • A clear statement of the topic being investigated
  • A review of the relevant literature necessary to understand the proposal
  • The methodology (or research design) that used to answer the research questions (or the activities to accomplish the goals)
  • Intended results and their significance to the area of study (or fields)
  • A timeline for completing the project

  Review process

  • Applications are screened by the CALA best research award committee for completeness.
  • All applicants will receive a notification.

  Evaluation criteria:

  Award committee members will evaluate applications using the criteria list below. The review committee will review applications holistically; not every point must be addressed, but applicants should be mindful of these criteria when preparing a competitive application:

  • Significance. Does the project address an important research problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? How timely is the research study in terms of research topic, methods, tools, or questions asked?
  • Investigator/researcher readiness. Is the researcher qualified and well suited to carry out the project?
  • Innovation/Intellectual Merit. How solid is the methodology, theoretical framework, literature review of the research project?
  • Likelihood of Completion. Will the environment in which the work will be conducted contribute to the probability of success? Is the proposed project realistic?
  • Publishability/dissemination plan: Does this study meet the basic research standards for eventual publication in peer-reviewed journals or professional venues?

  Application:

  To apply, please submit the following materials to the Best Research Award Subcommittee at best-research-chair@cala-web.org with “Sheila Suen Lai Research Grant” in the subject line and. Please submit one single (1) PDF document containing the items below in the order listed:

  1. A cover letter, including a statement of your eligibility
  2. A proposal statement describing the intended research activities and plans (no more than five pages)
  3. A curriculum vitae (CV)
  4. Two (2) letters of reference attesting to the applicant’s research credentials

  Application Deadline: Tuesday, March 31, 2026

  Sincerely,

  CALA Best Research Awards Subcommittee (2025-2026)

  Yali Feng

  Yanling Liu

  Jinxuan Ma (Co-Chair)

  Wei Zhang (Co-chair)

  Meingjie Zou

  
  

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• Call for Application – The 2026 CALA Sally C. Tseng’s Professional Development Grant

  • Start
    02/24/2026
  •  
    12:00 AM
  • End
    03/31/2026
  •  
    11:59 PM

  Dear CALA members,

  The CALA Best Research Awards Subcommittee (2025–2026) is pleased to announce that the 2026 Sally C. Tseng’s Professional Development Grant is now open for application. Please see the call for application below.

  Call for Application––2026 CALA Sally C. Tseng’s Professional Development Grant

  Deadline: Tuesday, March 31, 2026

  A. Overview

  The purpose of the Sally C. Tseng Professional Development Grant is to support research- and program-related activities by CALA members. A grant of $1,000USD is awarded annually to an individual recipient or multiple recipients from the same project. Proposals must focus on program and research in library and information science with the goal of advancing the INDIVIDUAL’S professional status, knowledge, and contributions to the community. Proposals will be evaluated by the criteria identified in these guidelines.

  B. Eligibility

  Applicants must:

  • Be CALA members in good standing for three (3) consecutive years, including the award year.
  • Demonstrate an interest in library research and professional development by publishing a research paper or delivering a presentation at a conference, institute, or workshop sponsored by professional library organizations (e.g., ALA, CALA, IFLA , the Library Society of China, or the Library Association of China).
  • Wait five (5) years after receiving the Tseng’s Grant before applying for the grant again.
  • Preference will be given to applicants who have never received the Tseng's Grant.

  C. How to Apply

  Applicants should submit one complete application package electronically in PDF format to the Best Research Award Subcommittee (best-research-chair@cala-web.org) with “Sally C. Tseng’s Professional Development Grant” in the subject line.

  D. Application Package

  A complete application package must be submitted in English and must include:

  • Cover Letter: A brief professional statement (350 words or fewer) describing the applicant’s interest and background in library research and career goals, including the needs, goals, and objectives of the proposed research/project.
  • Budget.
  • Timetable for completion.
  • Three (3) letters of reference, each including the reference’s name, title, institution, email address and signature.
  • Resume or curriculum vitae (CV).

  The application package must be received by the Subcommittee via email with all required attachments. Application materials will not be returned.

  E. Application Deadline

  The complete application package must be received no later than Tuesday March 31, 2026. Late and/or incomplete applications will NOT be accepted nor considered.

  F. Funding Sources

  • Funding is derived from the dividends from the Sally C. Tseng Investment Fund, donated to CALA by the Tseng family and Sally’s friends. US$1,000.00 will be awarded annually to the best applicant .
  • The Sally C. Tseng’s Professional Development Grant is coordinated by CALA Sally C. Tseng’s Professional Development Grant Subcommittee.
  • The Grant may be suspended if there is no qualified applicant or in the case of economic recession that impacts the Tseng Investment Fund (which has been invested in a mutual fund account).

  G. Funding Period

  One year, July – June.

  H. Notification

  • The Chair or Co-Chairs of the Sally C. Tseng’s Professional Development Grant Subcommittee will notify the successful applicant in May, prior to the ALA Annual Conference.
  • The recipient will be announced via the CALA listserv, CALA Newsletter, CALA website e, and CALA social media.
  • The recipient will be asked to submit a photograph for grant publicity.
  • The Sally C. Tseng’s Professional Development Grant will be presented at the CALA Awards Banquet during the ALA Annual Conference.

  I. CALA Award Banquet and Report

  • The successful recipient will be invited to the CALA Annual Awards Banquet by the CALA President, where the Grant will be presented during the ALA annual conference.
  • The recipient is required to submit a written report to the CALA Executive Director and Sally C. Tseng before the next ALA Annual Conference.

  J. Refund

  If the terms of the grant are violated, the grant will be rescinded, and the recipient will be required to return the fund in full to the Tseng’s Investment Fund Account in CALA.

  Any inquiries may be sent to best-research-chair@cala-web.org.

  Sincerely,

  CALA Best Research Awards Subcommittee (2025-2026)

  Yali Feng

  Yanling Liu

  Jinxuan Ma (Co-Chair)

  Wei Zhang (Co-chair)

  Meingjie Zou

  
  

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