The Bess Thomas Award is maintained by the ALIA Children's and Youth Services Group.
The Group strives to continue the work that Bess pioneered by providing continuing professional development opportunities for members and colleagues, championing the provision of library services for children and young people, and encourage our colleagues to network and celebrate their achievements.
The award provides $500 towards a project by a library or information service implementing or supplementing library services to young people.
Aims
- Encourage and support the development of innovative and significant library services to young people.
- Promote public and professional awareness of the importance of library services to young people.
- Honour the bequest made by Bess Thomas and commemorate her contribution to Australian children's libraries.
Eligibility
Nominations
- Can be made by staff of the library or information service being nominated.
- Require the consent of employing authorities.
Selection Criteria
- Clear project proposal for the implementation of an innovative new program, service or resource/s, or the supplementation of an existing program, service or resource/s, for children’s and young people in libraries.
- Demonstration of the benefits or need for this project in your community.
- Clearly defined aims and outcomes to work towards and capacity for the library of information service to deliver the proposed project.
Award
- Award of $500 towards a project initiating or supplementing library services for young people.
- Formal recognition on the ALIA website, in ALIA News and in the ALIA Annual Report.
- Profile published in INCITE.
Presentation
- The award will be presented at the ALIA National 2026 Conference Dinner on 13 May 2026 or at a local ALIA event.
Frequency
- One award every two years.
About Bess Thomas
Born in Australia, and educated in Canada, Bess had trained as a secretary and worked as a librarian at Toronto University. While in Canada she developed an interest in the Boys and Girls' House of the Toronto Public Library. On her return to Australia Bess Thomas was the co-founder of the Mosman Children's Library in 1934 along with her cousin, Edith Allworth.
Bess also set up a voluntary organisation known as the Friends of the Mosman Children's Library, the first of its kind in NSW, which operated throughout the 1950's.
Bess was the first woman in NSW to be appointed as a municipal librarian in 1945. Bess introduced innovative outreach activities such as story hours, book clubs and chess groups to the library.
Bess hosted one of the first training courses for children's librarians in 1954. 5 days of lectures, workshops and bookbuying for 30 librarians from 4 states. Bess was also a member of the preliminary committee to establish the Children's Book of the Year award which was followed by the establishment of the Children's Book Council of Australia.
Bess retired in March 1962, and J.W. Metcalfe's farewell address acknowledged Australia's debt to her work.
After her death in 1968 the LAA Children's Libraries Section determined to honour her memory with an award for 'an outstanding contribution to the profession by the writings or work of a practising children's librarian'.