2012 ‘I Love My Librarian’ Award Winners Announced

The winners of this year’s Carnegie Corporation/New York Times “I Love My Librarian” awards have been announced and will be honored tonight at a special ceremony hosted by The New York Times for their outstanding contributions to their libraries and the communities they serve.  

Each year, nominations for the award are open to librarians working in public, school, college, community college and university libraries.  More than 1,500 library patrons across the U.S. nominated a librarian this year, and 10 winners were selected for 2012 as part of a collaborative program of The New York Times, Carnegie Corporation of New York and the American Library Association.

The awards will be presented tonight at a ceremony held at TheTimesCenter in Manhattan.  Special guest Robert K. Massie, renowned historian, Pulitzer Prize-winner and best-selling author of Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman, will deliver a keynote at the ceremony in honor of the winners.  Mr. Massie is the recipient this year of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. 

The winners of the 2012 “I Love My Librarian” awards are: 

Dorothy J. Davison | Horrmann Library, Wagner College
New York, N.Y 

Roberto Carlos Delgadillo | Peter J. Shields Library
University of California, Davis 

Beatriz Adriana Guevara | Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Charlotte, N.C.

Rachel Hyland | Tunxis Community College Library
Farmington, Conn. 

Susan Kowalski |  Minoa School District: Pine Grove Middle School Library
East Syracuse, NY 

Rae Anne Locke | Saugatuck Elementary “Secret Garden” Library
Westport, Conn. 

Greta E. Marlatt | Naval Postgraduate School - Dudley Knox Library
Monterey, Calif. 

Mary Ellen Pellington | Octavia Fellin Public Library
Gallup, N.M. 

Madlyn S. Schneider | Queens Library
Queens Village, N.Y. 

Julie Hatsell Wales | McNair Magnet School
Rockledge, Fla.

“The existence and the welfare of the library are of paramount importance in the life of a society, in the life of a community, the life of a school and a college, the life of a city, and the life of a nation,” said Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corporation and past president of the New York Public Library.  “Indeed, libraries are a central part of our society.  They are a critical component in the free exchange of information, which is at the heart of our democracy.  In both an actual and symbolic sense, the library—and hence librarians—are the guardians of freedom of thought and freedom of choice.”  

“The 1,500 nominations that library users nationwide sent in for this award tell a clear story: that librarians make a difference every day in the lives of their patrons and that libraries are vital to their communities,” said Maureen Sullivan, president of the American Library Association. 

Fifty librarians nationwide have won the I Love My Librarian award since 2008.  More information about the award recipients is available at www.AtYourLibrary.org/ILoveMyLibrarian

About The New York Times Company


The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), a leading global, multimedia news and information company with 2011 revenues of $2.3 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, NYTimes.comBostonGlobe.comBoston.com and related properties.  The Company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news and information. 

About Carnegie Corporation of New York


Carnegie Corporation of New York was created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. In keeping with this mandate, the Corporation's work focuses on the issues that Andrew Carnegie considered of paramount importance: international peace, the advancement of education and knowledge, and the strength of our democracy.  For more information visit: www.Carnegie.org.  

About the American Library Association


The American Library Association (ALA), the voice of America's libraries, is the oldest, largest and most influential library association in the world. Its approximately 60,000 members are primarily librarians but also trustees, publishers and other library supporters. The association represents all types of libraries; its mission is to promote the highest quality library and information services and public access to information. 

The ALA administered the award through the Campaign for America’s Libraries, ALA’s public awareness campaign that promotes the value of libraries and librarians.