Today, 10 librarians are recognized for service to their communities, schools and campuses as winners of the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York TimesI Love My Librarian Award.
More than 1,700 library patrons nationwide nominated a librarian. The 10 award recipients are:
Venetia V. Demson
DC Public Library, Adaptive Services Division
Washington, D.C.
Martha Ferriby
Hackley Public Library
Muskegon, Michigan
Jennifer O. Keohane
The Simsbury Public Library
Simsbury, Connecticut
Dr. Rhonda Allison Rios Kravitz
Sacramento City College
Sacramento, California
Jennifer U. LaGarde
Myrtle Grove Middle School
Wilmington, North Carolina
Elizabeth “Betsy” Long
Doby's Mill Elementary School Media Center
Lugoff, South Carolina
Michelle Luhtala
New Canaan High School Library
New Canaan, Connecticut
Saundra Ross-Forrest
North Avondale Branch Library (Birmingham Public Library System)
Birmingham, Alabama
Rebecca Traub
Temple University Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Barbara K. Weaver
Ivy Tech Community College Northwest
Gary, Indiana
Each receives a $5,000 cash award and will be honored at a ceremony and reception in New York, hosted by The New York Times, on Dec. 8.
In their nominations, library patrons told stories of how their librarians make a difference in their community. This year’s winners include a librarian who makes the library easier to use for people with disabilities, an innovator who integrates technology throughout her school for improved collaboration among students and teachers, and a business outreach librarian who creates a space for the unemployed and local business community to learn new skills, network and collaborate.
Nominations were open to librarians working in public, school, college, community college and university libraries. Forty 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.
Commenting on the 2011 winners, Vartan Gregorian, President of Carnegie Corporation said, “Libraries are the treasurehouse of civilization. Librarians are our guides to this treasurehouse. With their help, we can translate the overwhelming flood of information generated by our hectic, complex world into true knowledge and understanding. Hence, our lives and the progress of our society are greatly enriched by the invaluable contribution of librarians. Our great, diverse democracy is strengthened by their dedication and their expertise. We thank them and we celebrate them today, and always.”
The award is a collaborative program of Carnegie Corporation of New York, The New York Times and the American Library Association.
Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic foundation created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to do "real and permanent good in this world."
The New York Times Company, a leading media company with 2010 revenues of $2.4 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers and more than 50 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, BostonGlobe.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.
The American Library Association (ALA) is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members. 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, its public awareness campaign that promotes the value of libraries and librarians.
