ALA Announces Winners of the 2017 “I Love My Librarian Award”

From ALA:

Today 10 librarians were honored with the prestigious 2017 I Love My Librarian Award for their outstanding public service contributions. Selected from more than 1,100 nominations submitted by library users nationwide, including educators and members of the public, the winning librarians are being recognized for their leadership in transforming lives and communities through education and lifelong learning.

The 1,125 nominations detail how librarians working in public, school, college, community college or university libraries have gone above and beyond to improve community members’ lives. In the United State there are 190,000 librarians working in libraries of all types, and only 100 librarians have been selected for this distinguished honor since the award’s inception in 2008.

The 2017 award winners include an academic librarian who preserves the stories and histories of the LGBTQ community; a public librarian who helps economically disadvantaged families connect with social services; a school librarian who inspires a love of reading in students who are new to the country or speak English as a second language; and a public librarian who helps underserved teens explore their passions and prepare for college.

“This year’s I Love My Librarian Award recipients are true leaders who are inspiring and implementing strategies to better their communities,” said Jim Neal, president of the American Library Association. “Whether it’s fostering inclusion and diversity or mentoring youth, these librarians are expanding beyond their traditional roles and providing more opportunities to meet the changing needs of the patrons they serve.”

Each winning librarian will receive a $5,000 prize at an award ceremony and reception to be held in New York City tonight. The ceremony is hosted by the philanthropic foundation Carnegie Corporation of New York, which co-sponsors the award along with The New York Public Library and The New York Times. The American Library Association administers the award through its Public Awareness Office, which promotes the value of libraries and librarians.

The 2017 I Love My Librarian Award recipients include three academic librarians, four public librarians and three school librarians.

This year’s winners are:

Julie Bill
Musicians Institute College of Contemporary Music
Los Angeles

Sheikla Blount
Columbiana (Alabama) Middle School

Annie Cipolla
Los Angeles Public Library

Rosemary Cooper
Albert Wisner Public Library
Warwick, New York

Laurie Doan
Tredyffrin Public Library
Strafford, Pennsylvania

Mary Jo Fayoyin
Savannah (Georgia) State University

Natalia Fernández
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon

Marcia Kochel
Druid Hills Middle School
Decatur, Georgia

Rita Platt
St. Croix Falls (Wisconsin) Elementary

Timothy Ryan
Rochester (New York) Public Library

Direct to Nominating Letters For Each Winner

Membership Roster: 2017 I Love My Librarian Award Selection Committee:2017 I Love My Librarian Award Selection Committee