Jacob Long, Interlibrary Loan Coordinator, Bryn Mawr College, chosen for the 2026 STARS Publication Recognition Award
“It’s truly an honor to receive the 2026 RUSA STARS Publication Recognition Award. In times such as these, with quantitative increases in academic material, decreasing collections budgets, excessive subscription fees, and an ever-evolving digital landscape, resource sharing (RS) is more essential and nuanced than ever. Indeed, to paraphrase Beth Posner: if ILL disappeared, so too would the capacity for contemporary research.
I am deeply indebted to the RS community, a network of collaborative and generous educators. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve learned as much from the hive mind as I have in my LIS program. That is not a slight against LIS programs, but rather praise for the RS collective’s robust knowledge base. (Thanks, y’all!) I hope that my paper inspires LIS educators to heed the call for more rigorous RS education and confirms that there is ample material to justify such a course of action (pun intended).” – Jacob Long
“Jacob Long’s article emphasizes the importance of resource sharing in the library field and provides a vision of how it could be included in LIS curriculum. The author’s insight is very appreciated, and we offer our congratulations on winning this award. – Award Committee statement
This award is for the publication of an article on the topic of resource sharing in LIS curricula. The author writes about his own experience as a new ILL employee while pursuing his MLS. The topic demonstrates practical value to how resource sharing might be included in LIS curriculum to students pursuing library careers and could be beneficial to both students and those designing or teaching these programs.
The Chair of the RUSA STARS Awards and Recognition Committee is Courtney Taulbee.