CHICAGO — Today the American Library Association (ALA) announced 10 recipients of the coveted I Love My Librarian Award. Honorees are exceptional librarians from academic, public and school libraries who were nominated by patrons nationwide for their expertise, dedication and profound impact on the people in their communities.
“Even in these unprecedented times and as our nation’s library workers face historic levels of intimidation and harassment due to an ongoing wave of book censorship, librarians continue to empower their patrons, teach critical literacy skills, promote inclusion in their space and collections, and provide vital services for their communities,” said American Library Association President Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada. “Congratulations to this year’s I Love My Librarian Award honorees, who positively impact the lives of those they serve every day.”
ALA received more than 1,500 nominations from library users for this year’s award, which demonstrates the breadth of impact of librarians across the country. Hundreds of nominations focused on librarians’ outstanding service in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fight against censorship that continues to roil communities across the U.S. This year’s award recipients include three academic librarians, three public librarians and four school librarians.
Honorees will each receive a $5,000 cash prize as well as complimentary registration and a $750 travel stipend to attend ALA’s LibLearnX event in New Orleans. The award ceremony will take place during the LibLearnX welcome reception beginning at 6:00 p.m. CT on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023.
The 2023 honorees are:
Kathryn Blackmer Reyes
San José State University, San José, California
Blackmer Reyes has created a unique and welcoming space and given visibility to untold stories at San José State University through the library’s Africana, Asian American, Chicano, and Native American Studies Center. Among her many accomplishments is her oversight of the library’s annual Día de los
Muertos celebration, which highlights the history and cultural tradition of the Mexican holiday with an exhibit featuring altars created by local artists, educational programming, performances and food.
Vikki Brown
Highlands County Library System, Sebring, Florida
As manager of the Highlands County Library System and coordinator for the Heartland Library Cooperative, Brown has ramped up the library system’s outreach efforts to serve its largely rural population area. One of her signature accomplishments is securing a grant for a mobile library, which travels to multiple cities across the cooperative’s service area and provides materials for check out, WiFi and computer access, and printing services.
Cara Chance
Lafayette Public Library, Carencro, Louisiana
Chance is on the front lines in the fight against book censorship as manager of the Lafayette Public Library’s North Regional Branch. Her efforts to erect inclusive book displays featuring books with LGBTQ+ themes have put her at odds with the library’s conservative Board of Control as she has spoken in defense of inclusive materials in the library, and her local community has responded with overwhelming support.
Tara Coleman
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas
Coleman has spearheaded Kansas State University’s campus-wide common reading initiative. Known as K-State First Book, the first-year experience program has grown into a massive success and core element of campus culture since its inception in 2010, and now includes an array of campus events throughout the academic year including author talks, panel discussions, awards and incorporation into course curricula.
David Ettinger
George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia
With his expertise in international affairs and political science, David Ettinger is supporting and helping shape the research mission of George Washington University. His student-centered and engaging approach to research assistance and instruction is improving student learning while highlighting the library’s critical role in advancing student success.
Julie Marie Frye
Childs Elementary School, Bloomington, Indiana
Frye is creating a more hopeful and just future through literacy, inclusivity and building understanding of current events at Childs Elementary School. In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, she designed a museum-style inquiry room for students to learn and ask questions about Ukrainian culture and the war, as well as write letters to students in Ukraine.
Lauren Ginsberg-DeVilbiss
Wright Brothers School, New York City, New York
Ginsberg-DeVilbiss is leveraging outside partnerships to engage the students at the Wright Brothers School in New York City, with a strategic focus on sustainability. The library has received a digital beehive from the Savannah Bee Company to spark conversations and lessons about the importance of bees, and is working to grow a community garden in partnership with local organization Harlem Grown.
Jamie Gregory
Christ Church Episcopal School, Greenville, South Carolina
Gregory is equipping upper school students at Christ Church Episcopal School with strong news and media literacy skills as well as a critical understanding of censorship and intellectual freedom. In one collaboration with a history teacher, she incorporated the school’s location in a rural-suburban area with previously functioning mills to connect student lessons and various resources about labor unions with family stories.
Roseanna Gulisano
Highbridge School, Bronx, New York
Highbridge School librarian Roseanna Gulisano is working to ensure students and their families have access to books and more in an underserved district in the Bronx. Splitting time between the school’s two libraries while simultaneously teaching a full schedule of elementary classes, she has worked to secure funding for a variety of student needs including books that students keep to build their own home libraries, groceries and coats for struggling families, and library technology and furnishings.
Elacsha Madison
Evanston Public Library, Evanston, Illinois
Elacsha Madison is elevating teen outreach efforts and bringing innovative STEAM programs to marginalized communities at the Evanston Public Library. From hosting a “Taste of the Loft” event at local schools and parks to give local students a sample of the library’s teen programming to a partnership with a local organization addressing food injustice, she is serving as a mentor, advocate and community builder.
Since the award’s inception in 2008, library users have shared more than 23,000 nominations detailing how librarians have gone above and beyond to promote literacy, expand access to technology, and support diversity and inclusion in their communities. Information regarding previous award recipients can be found on the I Love My Librarian website at
Carnegie Corporation of New York generously sponsors the I Love My Librarian Award. The New York Public Library also supports the award. The award is administered by the American Library Association.
Photos of recipients and I Love My Librarian Artwork are available via the award’s press kit.
For more news and information, visit www.ala.org.
ABOUT CARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK
Carnegie Corporation of New York is one of the nation’s oldest philanthropic foundations, established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. In keeping with this mission, the Corporation’s grantmaking focuses on the issues that Carnegie considered of paramount importance: education, international peace, and a strong democracy.
ABOUT THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With over 90 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library receives approximately 16 million visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.
ABOUT AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
The American Library Association is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the ALA has been the trusted voice of libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit www.ala.org.
Originally published at https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2023/01/ten-honorees-set-receive-prestigious-i-love-my-librarian-award-outstanding
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