We Love Our Librarians!

Ten librarians from across the nation were honored with 2016’s I Love My Librarian Award at a reception hosted by Carnegie Corporation of New York today.

Today’s librarians offer a lot more than just books. (Don’t worry, librarians still love books!)

 
Winners of the 2016 I Love My Librarian award pose with Carnegie Corporation president Vartan Gregorian (front row, fifth from left) and New York Public Library president Anthony W. Marx (back row, third from left). (Photo: Celeste Ford)

New York, NY November 30, 2016 — Ten librarians from across the nation were honored with 2016’s I Love My Librarian Award at a reception hosted by Carnegie Corporation of New York today. The winners of this prestigious public service award were selected from a pool of nearly 1,100 nominations submitted by the public detailing how their favorite librarians working in public, school, college, community college, or university libraries connect them to information, opportunities, and critical technology to help improve the quality of their lives. Each of the I Love My Librarian award winners receives a $5,000 cash award, a plaque, and a travel stipend to attend the awards ceremony at the Corporation’s New York headquarters.

The 2016 winners—hailing from coast (Old Westbury, New York) to coast (Modesto, California) and points in between—embody the enormous range of skills and enthusiasms that today’s librarians bring to the job every single day. One librarian, a former chef, provides tools and resources to help children make healthy food choices. A winner from Texas wins praise for pushing his organization to think way outside the box, helping to make his library “an indispensable thread in the fabric of Houston.” Here is a description of the efforts of a librarian at a therapeutic residential and day school for K–12 students: “She never stops in her effort to bring in just one more artist, one more author, or one more musician who might be the very person a child in crisis needs to make it through that day and through life.” A librarian at a technical college is cited for her work with young people “as they prepare to transition to college.” The challenges facing librarians are many, their solutions—as the achievements of this year’s winners attest—are ingenious.

Carnegie Corporation president Vartan Gregorian speaking at the reception honoring the 2016 I Love My Librarian award winners. (Photo: Celeste Ford)New York Public Library president Anthony W. Marx speaking at the reception honoring the 2016 I Love My Librarian award winners. (Photo: Celeste Ford)Some of the winners of the 2016 I Love My Librarian award at the reception held in the honor at Carnegie Corporation’s New York headquarters, November 30, 2016. (Photo: Celeste Ford)

The I Love My Librarian Award, now in its ninth year, is administered by the American Library Association (ALA) and is supported by the Corporation, with additional sponsorship from The New York Public Library and the New York Times. Meet the winners and read the nominations, which include detailed and heartfelt stories about how these dedicated librarians have had such positive impacts on the communities they serve. Learn more about the award through the ALA website.