Ten librarians from across the nation receive prestigious public service honor

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Dec 17, 2013, 06:03 ET

Carnegie Corporation of New York, The New York Times and the American Library Association announce I Love My Librarian Award recipients

NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ten librarians from various types of libraries joined the company of a select few as recipients of the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award today. 2013 recipients were selected for their dedicated public service and the valuable role they play in our nation's communities in transforming lives through education. Only 60 librarians nationwide have won the I Love My Librarian Award since its inception in 2008.

There are 166,305 certified librarians in the United States who, along with more than 200,000 dedicated library workers, offer services to the elderly, job-seekers, small business owners, families, students and others.

As part of the nominating process, more than 1,100 library patrons submitted detailed stories regarding how their librarian had an impact on their communities and lives. The nominations detailed how local librarians provided life-changing resources for multicultural communities and new Americans, created fun and educational safe havens for youth, and strived to preserve local history.

Patrons nominated librarians working in public, school, college, community college and university libraries.

This year's I Love My Librarian Award recipients are:

Julia Allegrini
Covington (Ky.) Branch of the Kenton County Public Library

Dr. Shahla Bahavar
University of Southern California Libraries
Los Angeles

Holly Camino
Buckeye Library, Medina (Ohio) County District Library

Kathy Meulen Ellison
Sonoji Sakai Intermediate School
Bainbridge Island, Wash.

Harold M. Forbes
West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries
Morgantown, W. Va.

Caroline "Xiaofang" Han
Cleveland Public Library

Jennifer J. Jamison
Atlantic City (N.J.) High School

Julie Kane
Sweet Briar (Va.) College

Molly Ledermann
Missoula (Mont.) Public Library

Charlotte Carr Vlasis
Chattanooga (Tenn.) School for the Liberal Arts

Each recipient receives a $5,000 award at a ceremony and reception in New York City, hosted by The New York Times.

For more information regarding 2013 I Love My Librarian recipients please visit http://www.ilovelibraries.org/lovemylibrarian/home.

About Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York was created 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.

About The New York Times Company
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.

About the American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 57,000 members in academic, public, school, government, and special libraries. The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.

The ALA administered the award through the Campaign for America's Libraries, ALA's public awareness campaign that promotes the value of libraries and librarians.

SOURCE American Library Association