The J. Edgar and Louise S. Monroe Library is now $3,000 richer and ranks among the top university libraries in the nation.

Since 2000, the Association of College and Research Libraries gives awards to what it considers the best university, college and community college libraries every year.

The Monroe Library won the 2003 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award in the university category, and will also receive $3,000 and a citation.

“We kept our fingers crossed because the competition was pretty stiff,” said Mary Lee Sweat, dean of the libraries. “We think we have a wonderful university and library but when we actually won, we were so excited. It was great to get that kind of news and affirmations.”

Every applicant for the award filled out an application about its library. The application focused on how well the library fulfills the university and its mission, innovated projects, and services and relationships with the students and faculty.

Debra Poole, public services coordinator, and Lori Gibson, technical services coordinator, were in charge of the Monroe Library application.

“They deserve a lot of the credit,” Sweat said. “A lot depends on the award application, how well you tell the story of your library and get across what you’re doing.”

The Monroe Library was recognized for being a model of what excellent libraries are and will become according to the ACRL.

The ACRL also acknowledged the library for the way the staff has reinvented the library, not only with regard to the quality and quantity of information resources, but in terms of basic functions and expanding services.

The library will be recognized at the ACRL President’s Program during the American Library Association/Canadian Library Association joint conference in June in Toronto.

A ceremony in honor of the Monroe Library will be held April 1 in the library.

The president of the ACRL and a representative of the Blackwell Book Services, the company that sponsors the award will attend the ceremony.

“We’ll have a lunch for the whole campus with jambalaya and music,” Sweat said.