MSVU Library & Archives
15 Lumpkin Rd
Mount Saint Vincent University
Halifax, NS B3M 2J6
902-457-6250
The Library adjudicates two annual student awards for excellence in library research:
Each award comes with a prize of $360. Winners are usually announced at the annual MSVU Academic Awards event in April. The Library Awards deadline this year is Friday April 11th, 2025.
These awards are available to undergraduate students who demonstrate outstanding skill in using information and resources located in, or accessible from, the MSVU Library, when completing a research assignment for course credit at Mount Saint Vincent University.
2025 Application Form coming soon!
In the mean time, interested students are welcome to submit any questions to library@msvu.ca
These awards are available to undergraduate students who demonstrate outstanding skill in using information and resources located in, or accessible from, the MSVU Library, when completing a research assignment for course credit at Mount Saint Vincent University. Eligible assignments must have been submitted within the 12 month period proceeding the competition deadline.
Tanja Harrison Library Research Award
The Tanja Harrison Library Research Award is named in memory of MSVU's University Librarian, who served from 2012 until 2023. Tanja was an enthusiastic supporter of the Library Awards and spearheaded many Library improvements and initiatives during her tenure, most notably a major renovation of the Library in 2014. The award is available annually to a novice researcher, i.e. an undergraduate student at MSVU who has completed no more than 15 units at MSVU (or, in the case of a transfer student, any other post-secondary institution) and demonstrates outstanding research skills using information and resources located in, or accessible from, the MSVU Library when completing a research paper for credit. Annotated bibliographies are eligible for this award. Honours thesis/projects are not eligible.
Sister Francis de Sales Endowed Award
The Sister Francis de Sales Endowed Award is awarded annually by the Mount Saint Vincent Alumnae Association in memory of Sister Francis de Sales, who served as Head Librarian for 25 years. She was instrumental in rebuilding the Mount Library after the fire of 1951 and contributed to the establishment of the MacDonald Rare Book Room. The Sister Francis de Sales Endowed Award is awarded to a senior undergraduate student (at least 10 units complete) who demonstrates outstanding research skills in using information sources available from the MSVU Library when completing a research paper for course credit. Honours theses/projects are not eligible for this award.
The adjudication committee consists of librarians and library staff members. The committee may seek advice from the teaching faculty related to the paper under consideration. The research assignments will be judged according to the following criteria:
The Library Awards Committee does not re-mark any assignments submitted for consideration, but the quality of library research must be deemed sufficiently high by the committee for applications to be considered. The committee reserves the right not to offer either of the two awards in any given year. The decision of the committee is final.
The research log documents your research process and the resources you used while conducting your research. Not all subcategories need to be completed. However, each completed subcategory must include some library research examples.
The cover page of the research log must include:
When listing the search strategies you used to find information for your assignment, list the what tools or techniques you used while doing your research and indicate things such as choosing a database, deciding on search terms, search terms, and/or filters you used.
Provide a list of materials used during your library research process according to the type of material. Indicate whether the resource was online or print.
Describe any consultations, research appointments, or help you received from librarians, instructors, and/or other specialists regarding your research.
Reflect on your research process and its impact on your work.
2025 Application Form coming soon!
In the mean time, interested students are welcome to submit any questions to library@msvu.ca