91´«Ã½

Ciro Scardina named recipient of the Carnegie Corporation of New York/

New York Times I Love My Librarian Award

NEW YORK — Today, Ciro Scardina, library media specialist at P.S. 18 School Library in Staten Island, N.Y., will receive the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award for his outstanding public service to the community and ongoing commitment to changing lives through education. Scardina is one of only 10 librarians within the United States recognized this year for this esteemed honor.

Scardina has transformed school library resources to meet the changing needs of students in the 21^st century.

Through grants, Scardina led a library redesign and renovation to modernize the library with technology that supports student learning, including iPads and an interactive whiteboard. The library also increased its collection with 3,000 new books.

Scardina also addresses the students’ basic need for nourishment. He partnered with various organizations to establish a monthly food pantry for his students and their families. Scardina volunteers at each food distribution to interact with families and get to know his students’ parents.

Scardina will receive a $5,000 prize at an award ceremony and reception held this evening in New York City, hosted by The New York Times.

As part of the award process, library users nominate librarians in public, school, college, community college and university libraries. This year more than 1,000 library patrons submitted detailed stories regarding how their librarian had an impact on their communities and lives.

There are a total of 165,986 certified librarians in the United States and more than 200,000 dedicated library workers who connect people with the information access and critical resources they need to support lifelong learning.

A complete list of the 2014 I Love My Librarian Award recipients can be found at .

About Carnegie Corporation of New York

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.

About The New York Times Company (NYSE:NYT) is a global media organization dedicated to enhancing society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news and information. The company includes The New York Times, International New York Times, NYTimes.com, INYT.com and related properties. It is known globally for excellence in its journalism, and innovation in its print and digital storytelling and its business model. Follow news about the company at .

About the 91´«Ã½

The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 55,000 members in academic, public, school, government, and special libraries. The mission of the 91´«Ã½ 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 91´«Ã½ administered the award through the Campaign for America’s Libraries, 91´«Ã½’s public awareness campaign that promotes the value of libraries and librarians.

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Contact:

Heather Cho

Media Relations Specialist

91´«Ã½

312-280-4020

hcho@ala.org

Celeste Ford

Carnegie Corporation of New York

212-207-6277

cfc@carnegie.org