The time has come!  It’s that exciting time of year again.  Do you know a rising star in the library and information world?  Would you like to see them recognized for their stellar and innovative achievements?  Look no further!  ATG Media and Kanopy are thrilled to announce the third annual round of nominations for The Charleston Conference’s Up and Comers.  

Who exactly is an “Up and Comer”, you ask?  They are librarians, library staff, vendors, publishers, MLIS students, instructors, consultants, and researchers who are new to their field or are in the early years of their profession.  An Up and Comer can be someone you work with, someone you’ve presented with or shaken hands with at a conference, or someone whose accomplishments and potential you admire.  They are passionate about the future of libraries and the enormous impact library services have on communities around the globe.  They innovate, inspire, collaborate, and take risks.  They are future library leaders and change makers.  And they all have one thing in common: they deserve to be celebrated.  

We are particularly pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with Kanopy for the 2019 class of Up & Comers!  Our friends at Kanopy will sponsor the registration costs for the top 10 Up & Comers to attend the 2019 Charleston Conference.  As the Up & Comers program grows each year, we are proud to partner with Kanopy on this terrific opportunity.

The 2019 Up and Comers will be recognized in the December/January issue of Against the Grain, and 10 of these brilliant rising stars will be profiled in the same issue.  They will also be honored at the First Time Attendees and Up & Comers Reception at the Charleston Conference.

In other exciting partnership news, the Charleston Conference and The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) are partnering to provide a scholarship exchange program for Up & Comers and SSP Fellows.  2019 Up & Comer winners will be eligible to participate in a themed essay competition to win a free registration for the 2020 SSP Annual Meeting to be held May 27-29 in Boston, MA.

Nominations for the inaugural round of Up and Comers is open through September 20th and winners will be notified by October 1st.  Don’t wait, participate!   Spread the good news, tell your friends and colleagues, and nominate your favorite Up and Comer here.  

Tom Gilson

Associate Editor, Against the Grain

Head of Reference Emeritus, 

Addlestone Library, College of Charleston