Over the last decade, only 110 librarians have received this distinguished honor.
The American Library Association (ALA) is inviting all library users to nominate their favorite librarians for the prestigious I Love My Librarian Award. The national award recognizes the outstanding public service contributions of librarians working in public, school, college, community college, or university libraries who transform communities and improve lives. Nominations are being accepted online now through October 21, 2019.
Ten librarians will receive $5,000, a plaque, and a travel stipend to attend the I Love My Librarian Award ceremony on January 25, 2020, which will take place during ALA’s Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Philadelphia. Last year’s award winners included an academic librarian who stocks the library with nonperishable 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.
Since the award was established in 2008, library users nationwide have shared more than 19,000 nominations detailing how librarians have gone above and beyond to connect them to information, educational opportunities, and critical technology. Over the last decade, only 110 librarians have received this distinguished honor.
To be eligible for the award, each nominee must hold a master’s degree in library and information studies from a program accredited by the ALA or a master’s degree with a specialty in school library media from an educational program accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Nominees must also work in either a public library, a library at an accredited two- or four-year college, or university, or at an accredited K-12 school in the United States.
The philanthropic foundation Carnegie Corporation of New York sponsors the I Love My Librarian Award. The New York Public Library and the New York Times are co-sponsors of the award. The ALA administers the award through ALA’s Communications and Marketing Office, which promotes the value of libraries and librarians.
Carnegie Corporation of New York was established 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.
The New York Public Library is a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With ninety-two 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 serves nearly seventeen million patrons who come 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.
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 ala.org.
