The Marjorie Cotton Award is maintained by the ALIA Children's and Youth Services Group.
The Group strives to continue the work that Majorie 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 promotes the role and image of library staff providing library services for young people, with the winner awarded $500 and a citation recognising an outstanding contribution to library services for young people.
Aims
- Promote the role and image of library staff working with young people.
- Recognise individual achievement by library staff working with young people.
- Encourage young people’s library staff to actively engage with the profession and support ALIA.
Eligibility
- Any individual working in the library or information profession including librarians, teacher librarians, library technicians and general library staff.
- Any individual working in the library or information profession and who is a financial member of ALIA (personal or institutional) is eligible for nomination.
Nominations
- Can be made by an individual, i.e., self-nomination, by the manager of the library or information centre, school, or of the parent body, or by peers or professional colleagues.
- Require the nominee's consent.
Selection Criteria
- An outstanding contribution to developing, implementing or promoting services to young people in libraries such as programming, resource development, inclusion and access, community engagement and outreach, partnerships and collaborations, innovative new services and technologies, leadership and team development, and creative approaches to marketing and promotion.
- Active participation in co-operative networks, committees or groups furthering library services to young people.
- Research, publication or presentation, including seminars relevant to children or young people’s librarianship or literature.
Award
- $500 award and a citation.
- 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 Marjorie Cotton
Marjorie Cotton Isherwood, whose pioneering work as a children's librarian was recognised by the creation of the Marjorie Cotton Award, passed away on 2 February 2003. Marjorie was delighted to have this award honouring her, and in years past has personally corresponded with those children's librarians who received the award, presenting each winner with a book from her own library.
Marjorie Cotton was NSW's first professionally qualified children's librarian. She initiated programs that are the basis of services to children in public libraries today:
- Weekly story sessions
- Contacts with schools
- Providing material for children in languages other than English
- Appointing qualified children's librarians
Marjorie Cotton's influence reached far beyond the Ku-ring-gai, Newcastle, Randwick and Woollahra libraries in which she worked. She was the first president of the LAA Children's Libraries Section in 1953, and her expertise was recognized by overseas organisations such as UNESCO who sought her advice on children's library services.