Professional Awards & Scholarships
Call for Applications
Click here for nomination information: Louis Rachow Award for Distinguished Service in Performing Arts Librarianship 2024 (Nominate by Sept. 9th 2024!)
Click here for application information: Brooks McNamara Performing Arts Librarian Scholarship 2024 (Apply by Sept. 9th 2024!)
Louis Rachow Distinguished Service in Performing Arts Librarianship Award
Theatre Library Association celebrates the excellence of our profession by bestowing the Louis Rachow Distinguished Service in Performing Arts Librarianship Award on individuals who embody its best qualities.
Louis Rachow had a long and distinguished career in performing arts librarianship, highlighted by a quarter century as Curator/Librarian of the Hampden-Booth Theatre Library at The Players, followed by another decade as Library Director of the International Theatre Institute of the United States. His publications, as author and editor, helped to educate several generations of performing arts librarians in the practices and history of the field. Over the course of more than 50 years as a TLA member, he served as an executive board member, President, Vice President, chair of the nominating committee, editor of the newsletter, and liaison to the Special Libraries Association, the Council of National Library Associations, and the Library/Information Network-New York. He remained active in the organization throughout his life, holding the post of TLA Historian and attending events and board meetings whenever he was able. He passed away on August 28, 2017; he was 90.
In recognition of his exemplary record of service, the Distinguished Service Award was renamed in honor of Louis Rachow in 2013.
For more information about the Louis Rachow Distinguished Service Award, contact Drew Barker, Chair, TLA Professional Awards Committee.
2024 LOUIS RACHOW DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD WINNER
Tiffany Nixon is the founding archivist at Roundabout Theatre Company, a position she held from
2008-2024. During her tenure she worked to document the creative process of theater-making and
made discoverable the rare and unique behind-the-scenes costumes, objects and show-running
records through searchable databases and exhibitions. She has served on the boards of TLA and
Archivists Roundtable of New York and is an ExCom member of SIBMAS for which she served as
conference proceedings editor from 2014-2018. Through the years she has been involved with ATAP
(American Theatre Archives Project) helping to appraise and survey archives maintained by theater
companies across the United States. Tiffany is currently Head of Special Collections and College
Archives at FIT/SUNY.
Brooks McNamara Performing Arts Librarian Scholarship
Theatre Library Association is pleased to sponsor the Brooks McNamara Performing Arts Librarian Scholarship in memory of the achievements of this beloved theater historian, scholar, educator, and mentor.
Brooks McNamara – beloved theater historian, scholar, educator, and mentor – was Professor of Performance Studies at New York University and founder of the Shubert Archive.
The Brooks McNamara Performing Arts Librarian Scholarship acknowledges outstanding professional accomplishments of promising students currently enrolled in MLIS or archival training programs specializing in performing arts librarianship. The winner receives a $750 check and a one-year complimentary TLA membership.
The scholarship is offered every other year. Click here for the current form application.
For more information about the McNamara Scholarship, contact the chair of the Professional Awards Committee, Drew Barker (dbarker@umd.edu).
2024 BROOKS MCNAMARA PERFORMING ARTS LIBRARIAN SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
Courtney Thomas is a second-year MLIS student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. She holds a B.A. in Theatre & Dance and a B.A. Humanities with minors in English and Art History and certificates in Museum Studies and Core Texts & Ideas. Her previous work includes roles at the Library of Congress, Ballroom Marfa, Crystal Bridges, Mass MoCA, and other cultural institutions. Her research and writing on the intersection of art and politics has appeared in academic journals and at conferences, as well as in publications including Slate, Glasstire, Texas Monthly, Texas Highways, and others.