The Dartmouth Medal of the American Library Association is awarded annually to a reference work of outstanding quality and significance, published during the previous calendar year. The medal was designed by Rudolph Ruzicka.Rudolph Ruzicka's Two Dartmouth Medals. Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. (October 1983: 46-47.
History Dartmouth College sponsored the establishment of the award in 1974, acting on the recommendation of Dean Lathem, a Dartmouth College librarian, who had noted that no special honor existed in the United States for distinguished achievement relating to the creation of works of reference resources centrally important to libraries and to the pursuit of learning. Dartmouth College gave the American Library Association complete control in making the award and commissioned the artist Rudolph Ruzicka to design an oval bronze medal that features Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
Dartmouth Medal recipients Dartmouth Medal Recipients Year Award Editor-in-Chief Book title or other citation Publisher1975Dartmouth Medal"NASIC, Northeast Academic Science Information Center, a regional experiment in the brokerage of information services." Republished in 1976no award1977Dartmouth Medal Atlas of Early American History: The Revolutionary Era, 1760-1790 Princeton University Press for the Newberry Library and the Institute of Early American History and Culture1978Dartmouth Medal International Encyclopedia of Psychiatry, Psychology, Psychoanalysis and Neurology Aesculapius Publishers by Van Nostrand Reinhold1979Dartmouth Medal Encyclopedia of Bioethics Free Press1980no award1981Dartmouth MedalDictionary of Scientific BiographyCharles Scribner's Sons1982Dartmouth MedalGrove's Dictionaries of Music1983Dartmouth Medal"The body of its reference works which provide exceptional access to current and retrospective publications of the United States Government and to statistical publications from a wide variety of sources."1984Dartmouth Medal Times Atlas of the Oceans Van Nostrand Reinhold1985Dartmouth Medal Wilsonline H. W. Wilson Company1986Dartmouth Medal International Encyclopedia of Education: Research and Studies Pergamon Press1987Dartmouth Medal Encyclopedia of the American Constitution Macmillan Publishers1988Dartmouth Medal Encyclopedia of Religion Macmillan Publishers1989Dartmouth MedalWe the People: An Atlas of America's DiversityMacmillan Publishers1990Dartmouth MedalEncyclopedia of Southern CultureUniversity North Carolina PressHonorable MentionDictionary of the Middle AgesCharles Scribner's Sons1991Dartmouth Medal Encyclopedia of the HolocaustMacmillan PublishersHonorable Mention Art Across America: Two Centuries of Regional Painting, 1710-1920 Abbeville Press1992Dartmouth MedalAtlas of United States Environmental IssuesMacmillan PublishersHonorable MentionHoughton Mifflin1993Dartmouth MedalEncyclopedia of SociologyMacmillan PublishersHonorable MentionOxford Companion to the English LanguageOxford University Press1994Dartmouth MedalBlack Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia Carlson PublishersHonorable MentionEncyclopedia of American Social HistoryCharles Scribner's Sons1995Dartmouth MedalEncyclopedia of the American Presidency Simon & SchusterHonorable MentionEncyclopedia of the Musical Theatre Schirmer Books1996Dartmouth MedalCivilizations of the Ancient Near East Macmillan Publishers / Charles Scribner's SonsHonorable MentionEncyclopedia of Bioethics Macmillan Publishers Encyclopedia of New York City Yale University Press1997Dartmouth Medal Dictionary of Art Macmillan PublishersHonorable MentionEncyclopedia of African-American Culture and HistoryMacmillan Library ReferenceCharles Scribner's Sons Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture Charles Scribner's Sons1998Dartmouth Medal Jewish Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia RoutledgeHonorable Mention Encyclopedia of Africa: South of the Sahara Charles Scribner's Sons Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Africa Garland Publishing Encyclopedia Judaica on CD-ROM Judaica Multimedia1999Dartmouth MedalAmerican National BiographyOxford University PressHonorable Mention International Encyclopedia of DanceOxford University PressRoutledge Encyclopedia of PhilosophyRoutledge Columbia Gazetteer of the World Columbia University Press2000Dartmouth Medal Encyclopedia of the Renaissance Charles Scribner's SonsHonorable Mention Wiley Encyclopedia of Electrical and Electronics Engineering John Wiley & Sons International Dictionary of Black Composers Fitzroy Dearborn PublishersOxford Companion to Food Oxford University Press2001Dartmouth MedalWomen in World HistoryGaleHonorable Mention Encyclopedia of the American Civil War ABC-CLIO Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences Academic Press2002Dartmouth MedalOxford Encyclopedia of Ancient EgyptOxford University PressHonorable MentionNew Grove Dictionary of Music and MusiciansGrove's Dictionaries of Music2003Dartmouth MedalGarland Encyclopedia of World MusicRoutledge2004Dartmouth Medal Encyclopedia of Food and Culture Charles Scribner's SonsHonorable Mention Holocaust Literature: An Encyclopedia of Writers and Their Work Routledge2005Dartmouth MedalOxford Dictionary of National BiographyOxford University Press2006Dartmouth Medal Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film Routledge / Taylor & FrancisHonorable Mention Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States Oxford University Press2007Dartmouth MedalEncyclopaedia JudaicaGaleHonorable MentionHistorical Statistics of the United States: Earlier Times to the Present: Millennial EditionCambridge University Press2008Dartmouth Medal Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History Oxford University Press2009Dartmouth MedalPop Culture Universe (online database pop.greenwood.com)|Greenwood Publishing Group|- |Honorable Mention
|Yale University Press |- | rowspan="3" |2010|Dartmouth Medal|| Encyclopedia of Human Rights |Oxford University Press|- | rowspan="2" |Honorable Mention
|Gale
|Sage Reference |- | rowspan="2" |2011|Dartmouth Medal||Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion and the online Berg Fashion LibraryBloomsbury PublishingHonorable MentionAtlas of the Transatlantic Slave TradeYale University Press2012Dartmouth MedalGreen's Dictionary of SlangChambersHonorable Mention International Encyclopedia of Political ScienceSAGE reference in association with the International Political Science AssociationLifetime Achievement AwardStatistical Abstract of the United StatesU.S. Department of Commerce2013Dartmouth MedalDictionary of American Regional EnglishBelknap PressHonorable Mention, ed. Encyclopedia of Ancient HistoryWiley-Blackwell2014Dartmouth MedalMammals of AfricaBloomsbury Natural HistoryHonorable MentionInternational Encyclopedia of EthicsWiley-BlackwellEncyclopedia of Caribbean ReligionsUniversity of Illinois Press2015Dartmouth MedalPrinceton Dictionary of BuddhismPrinceton University Press2016Dartmouth MedalBrent Strawn, editor-in-chief Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Law Oxford University PressHonorable MentionThomas Riggs, editor Worldmark Global Business and Economy Issues Gale2017Dartmouth MedalGillian Vogelsang-Eastwood Encyclopedia of Embroidery from the Arab World Bloomsbury AcademicHonorable MentionFranklin W. Knight and Henry Louis Gates Jr. Dictionary of Caribbean and Afro-Latin American Biography Oxford University Press2018Dartmouth MedalThe Music of Central AsiaIndiana University PressHonorable MentionThe International Encyclopedia of Geography: People, the Earth, Environment, and TechnologyWiley-Blackwell and the American Association of GeographersThe Atlas of Ancient RomePrinceton University Press2019Dartmouth MedalMarine Fishes of Arctic CanadaUniversity of Toronto PressHonorable MentionBeetles: The Natural History and Diversity of ColeopteraFirefly BooksTESOL Encyclopedia of English Language TeachingWiley-Blackwell2020Dartmouth MedalHoward ChiangGlobal Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) HistoryGaleHonorable MentionJames E. Brunson, IIIBlack Baseball, 1858-1900: A Comprehensive Record of the Teams, Players, Managers, Owners and UmpiresMcFarlandThomas Couser and Susannah B. MintDisability Experiences: Memoirs, Autobiographies, and Other Personal NarrativesGaleMurray FraserSir Banister Fletcher’s Global History of Architecture (21st ed.)Bloomsbury Publishing2021Dartmouth MedalSpencer C. TuckerThe Cold War: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document CollectionABC-ClioHonorable MentionColleen Boyett, H. Micheal Tarver, and Mildred Diane GleasonDaily Life of Women: An Encyclopedia from Ancient Times to the PresentGreenwoodBob Gale, Pam Gale, and Ashby GaleA Beachcomber’s Guide to FossilsUniversity of Georgia PressNorman I. Platnick, Gustavo Hormiga, Peter Jäger, Rudy Jocqué, Norman I. Platnic, Martín J. Ramírez, and Robert J. RavenSpiders of the World: A Natural HistoryPrinceton University Press2022Dartmouth MedalDavid Wondrich with Noah RothbaumThe Oxford Companion to Spirits and CocktailsOxford University PressHonorable MentionMichael B. Montgomery and Jennifer K.N. HeinmillerDictionary of Southern Appalachian EnglishUniversity of North Carolina PressIain Campbell, Ken Behrens, Charley Hesse, and Phil ChaonHabitats of the World: A Field Guide for Birders, Naturalists, and Ecologists Princeton University Press2023Dartmouth MedalHerman Shugart, Peter White, Sassan Saatchi, and Jérôme ChaveThe World Atlas of Trees and Forests: Exploring Earth’s Forest EcosystemsPrinceton University PressHonorable MentionPatrick Hanks and Simon Lenarčič with Peter McClureDictionary of American Family Names, 2nd EditionOxford University PressGlenn Bartley and Andy SwashHummingbirds: A Celebration of Nature’s Jewels Princeton University PressVictoria FinlayFabric: Hidden History of the Material WorldPegasus BooksYvonne Wakim Dennis, Arlene Hirschfelder, and Paulette F. MolinIndigenous Firsts: A History of Native American Achievement and Events Visible Ink Press2024Dartmouth MedalStephen A. MarshallHymenoptera: The Natural History and Diversity of Wasps, Bees and AntsFirefly BooksHonorable MentionBowern, Claire (Editor)Oxford Guide to Australian LanguagesOxford University PressMichael Shally-Jensen (Editor)Critical Survey of Mythology & Folklore: Creation MythsSalem PressRobert C. Evans (Editor)Notable Writers of LGBTQ+ LiteratureSalem Press2025Moore, Ninah. 2025 Dartmouth Medal Winner Announced.Reference and User Services Association, American Library Association. RUSA UpdateJanuary 26, 2025. Dartmouth MedalRoger D. LauniusSmithsonian Atlas of Space: A Map to the Universe from the Big Bang to the FutureSmithsonian Books.Honorable MentionDebbie BerneDesign of Books: An Explainer for Authors, Editors, Agents, and Other Curious ReadersUniversity of Chicago PressShadreck ChirikureThe Oxford Encyclopedia of African ArchaeologyOxford University PressDouglas G.D. RussellSmithsonian Handbook of Interesting Bird Nests and EggsSmithsonian BooksJim Best, Stephen Darby, Luciana Esteves, and Carol Wilson The World Atlas of Rivers, Estuaries, and DeltasPrinceton University Press
Sources American Library Association Reference and User Services Association
External links ALA RUSA Dartmouth Medal American Library Association, Reference and Users Services Association