Imagine being recognized for doing something that has only happened once since 1955. Lynne Thomas, NIU Founders Memorial Library curator, knows that feeling well.

Thomas’ book about the Doctor Who series, Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love it, is the second book about television to ever be nominated for a Hugo Award. The book was nominated for Best Related Work, which is science fiction’s highest award. This book is the seventh on media of any kind to be nominated.

Chicks Dig Time Lords is a collection of essays written almost entirely by women including professional writers, fans and actresses from the series itself. Thomas and Tara O’ Shea, co-editor of the book, also provide stories about their experiences as fans. Those stories include an essay on the fun of CosPlay, in which fans dress up as characters from a television or printed series.

Thomas said she received feedback that the book can be construed more as a look into general fandom with Doctor Who as the subject than as a book strictly about the series.

“One of the things the book is designed to do is to introduce the concept of active fandom to people who are not familiar with it,” Thomas said.

Being a huge fan of the series herself, Thomas’ work on the book was a “labor of love.”

The book began to take shape when O’Shea pitched the idea in 2006. Thomas was recruited to help edit the book in 2008, and, in 2010, the book was completed and published.

Thomas said the most fun part of working on the book was “getting to see everybody’s stories take shape, particularly some of the stories we were not expecting to see.”

Thomas is working on a new book titled, “Chicks Dig Comics.” The book release date is March 2012.