(via Loida Garcia-Febo, ALA Immediate Past President)
On behalf of the I Love My Librarian Award Selection Committee, I am excited to share the news that nominations for the award are now open and run through October 21, 2019.
The I Love My Librarian Award recognizes the public service contributions of exceptional public, school, college, community college and university librarians in the U.S. who have gone above and beyond to improve lives and make a difference in their communities. For the first time in the award’s history, the ten winners will be honored by their colleagues at an award ceremony during ALA’s Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia in January of 2020, in addition to receiving a $5,000 prize and travel stipend.
Past winners have powerful stories about how they transformed lives, including an academic librarian who stocks the library with non-perishable foods and toiletries for low-income students, a public librarian who created a book project to preserve refugees’ stories and a school librarian who uses therapy and certified reading dogs to help students who are struggling with anxiety or have disabilities.
Up to 10 exceptional school, public, and college/university librarians will be selected to receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and a travel stipend to attend the awards ceremony in January 2020, during the ALA’s Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Philadelphia.
Every year, we look for ways to ensure the nomination pool reflects the diversity of the profession and represents all types of communities across the country. With that in mind, we hope you will help spread the word about the award in your local area and bring much deserved recognition to librarians and the incredible work they do every day. The electronic nomination form is available online at ilovelibraries.org/ilovemylibrarian and on the I Love My Librarian webpage there are free promotional tools for libraries, library groups and library supporters to promote the award, including:
- Flyer
- Sample newsletter copy
- Digital graphics
- Social media copy
- Press release template
- Table tent
We are grateful for any promotional support you are able to provide in getting the news out about the award. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or if we can help with any efforts.