Connaway to Receive the 2026 Award of Merit
The Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) is delighted to announce that Lynn Connaway is the recipient of the 2026 ASIS&T Award of Merit, the highest honor presented by the Association. The award’s purpose is to recognize an individual who has made particularly noteworthy and sustained contributions to the information science field. The award is based on 3 criteria: impact on theory, scholarship, and practice; exemplary leadership and sustained involvement; and education and mentoring.
Connaway is a Past President of ASIS&T and a Past Chair of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Value of Academic Libraries Committee. She is the recipient of the 2020 Distinguished Alumna Award from the Information School, the 2024 Distinguished Achievement Award from the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the 2025 ASIS&T Research Impact Award. She served as the 2023–2024 Follett Chair at Dominican University’s School of Information Studies and received the 2019 ASIS&T Watson Davis Award for Service and the 2016 Association for Library and Information Science Educators Service Award. Connaway was Chair of Excellence in the Departamento de Biblioteconomía y Documentación at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, a Visiting Researcher in the Department of Information Studies at the University of Sheffield, and a Visiting Scholar at the Royal School of Library and Information Science (now part of the Department of Communication at the University of Copenhagen), Denmark. She has received research funding from IMLS, Jisc, and the Arts and Humanities Research Council and is an international speaker. She is co-author of Basic Research Methods for Librarians, 4th and 5th editions, and of the 6th and 7th editions, Research Methods in Library and Information Science.
In nominating Connaway, Chirag Shah said, “Dr. Lynn Silipigni Connaway's career exemplifies the qualities the ASIS&T Award of Merit was established to recognize. Her theoretical contributions have advanced fundamental understanding of information behavior; her applied research has transformed professional practice; her leadership has strengthened major professional organizations; her educational and mentoring activities have developed new generations of information professionals; and her sustained involvement has enriched the field for over three decades. Few scholars have demonstrated such consistent excellence across all dimensions of information science—research, practice, leadership, education, and service. Dr. Connaway's work has shaped how we understand information behaviors in digital environments, improved how information professionals serve their communities, and influenced how we educate future generations of information scientists. Her career represents the highest ideals of the field, making her exceptionally deserving of the ASIS&T Award of Merit.”
Upon learning of her selection as winner of the ASIS&T Award of Merit, Lynn Connaway responded, “I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from my colleagues in the field of information science. ASIS&T has been an integral part of my research and professional journey. Through the association, I have had the privilege of building lasting friendships, collaborating with outstanding colleagues, benefiting from the support and mentorship of renowned scholars, and, in turn, mentoring others. This Award is a meaningful reflection of the experiences and relationships that have shaped my career as a researcher.”
Connaway will receive the award during the 2026 meeting of ASIS&T which will be held 6-10 November 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand.
About ASIS&T
The Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) is the only professional association that bridges the gap between information science practice and research. For nearly 90 years, ASIS&T has been leading the search for new and better theories, techniques, and technologies to improve access to information.