91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) Public Programs Office is now accepting nominations for the 2014 .

To be considered, nominations must be received by the 91´«Ã½ Public Programs Office by April 18, an extension of a previous deadline. Applications and award guidelines are available at .

School libraries, public or private, that served children in grades K-8 and conducted humanities programs during the 2012-13 school year are eligible. The winning library — which will be announced in June — will receive a $4,000 honorarium, a plaque and promotion on 91´«Ã½ websites and communications.

Applicant libraries must have conducted a humanities program or program series during the prior school year (2012-13). The humanities program can be focused in many subject areas, including social studies, poetry, drama, art, music, language arts, foreign language and culture. Programs should focus on broadening perspectives and helping students understand the world and their place in it. They should be initiated and coordinated by the school librarian and exemplify the role of the library program in advancing the overall educational goals of the school.

Named after retired school librarian and longtime 91´«Ã½ member Sara Jaffarian, the Jaffarian Award was established in 2006 to recognize and promote excellence in humanities programming in elementary and middle school libraries. It is presented annually by the 91´«Ã½ Public Programs Office, in cooperation with the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). The award is selected annually by a committee comprising members of the 91´«Ã½ Public and Cultural Programs Advisory Committee (PCPAC), the AASL and the Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC).

The 91´«Ã½ Public Programs Office promotes cultural and community programming as an essential part of library service in all types and sizes of libraries. Successful library programming initiatives have included the “Let’s Talk about It” reading and discussion series, traveling exhibitions, film discussion programs, the Great Stories CLUB, LIVE! @ your library and more. The website brings librarians valuable information to support them in the creation of high-quality cultural programs for their communities. For more information on the 91´«Ã½ Public Programs Office, visit .