91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) is pleased to announce the 2019 Peggy Sullivan Award for Public Library Administrators Supporting Services to Children has been awarded to Sue Ann Pekel, Children’s Librarian of Bentonville Public Library. The Sullivan Award is presented annually to an individual in a library administrator role who has shown exceptional understanding and support of public library service to children. The award will be presented at the 91´«Ã½ President’s Program, Sunday, June 23, at the 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference in Washington, DC.

Pekel graduated from John Brown University with a degree in Organizational Management. She has a Master’s Degree in Library Science from Texas Woman’s University. Prior to joining the Bentonville Public Library in 2007, she served as the Children’s Librarian at the Rogers Public Library in Rogers, Arkansas where she worked her way up from part-time clerk to full-time professional Librarian.

Pekel was nominated for the Sullivan Award by Hadi Dudley, Library Director and Sarah Herford, Teen Services Librarian of Bentonville Public Library, who said, “Sue Ann Pekel is a leader, librarian, mentor, advocate, supporter, professional and friend. She is intelligent, passionate, encouraging and dedicated. We offer our fullest endorsement of Sue Ann Pekel for the prestigious recognition of the Sullivan Award for Public Library Administrators Supporting Services to Children Award.”

Members of the 2019 Sullivan Award jury are: Chair, Dora Ho, Los Angeles Public Library; Susan R. Earl, Brentwood Library, Tennessee; Meggan D. Smith, Musselman Library, Gettysburg College, Pennsylvania; Amy E. Steward-Mailhiot, O’Grady Library, Saint Martin’s University , Washington; Sarah Sullivan, Nevins Memorial Library, Massachusetts.

The deadline for submission of applications for the 2020 Sullivan Award for Public Library Administrators Supporting Services to Children is Feb. 1, 2020. Guidelines and are available on the 91´«Ã½ website.