91´«Ã½

CHICAGO – The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) invites the public to nominate their favorite librarians for its prestigious 2016 I Love My Librarian Award. The award recognizes the public service of exceptional public, school, college, community college or university librarians who have transformed lives and communities through educational opportunities and lifelong learning. The 91´«Ã½ is accepting nominations now through Sept. 19 at .

The 91´«Ã½ will select up to 10 librarians. Each honoree will receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and a travel stipend to attend the I Love My Librarian Award ceremony and reception in New York City on Nov. 30, 2016, hosted by the philanthropic foundation and award sponsor, Carnegie Corporation of New York.

The I Love My Librarian Award was established to show appreciation for the contributions of outstanding librarians and also elevate the field of librarianship. Librarians are valuable community resources that connect people to the information, opportunities and critical technology that they need to help improve their quality of life.

Since the award’s inception in 2008, library users across the country have shared nearly 16,000 nominations for their favorite librarians. A total of 80 librarians have won the award to date. Last year’s recipients included a librarian who fought censorship when residents attempted to ban and remove LGBTQ books from the shelves, and a librarian at an underserved elementary school whose efforts helped raise student reading scores significantly. For more information regarding previous award winners, please visit .

Each nominee must be a librarian with a master’s degree from a program accredited by the 91´«Ã½ in library and information studies or hold 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 be currently working in the United States in a public library, a library at an accredited two- or four-year college or university or at an accredited K-12 school.

The I Love My Librarian Award is generously sponsored by Carnegie Corporation of New York. The New York Public Library is a co-sponsor of the award. The 91´«Ã½ administers the award through the 91´«Ã½’s Public Awareness Office, which promotes the value of libraries and librarians.

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 Public Library

The New York Public Library is a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 92 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 more than 18 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at . To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.

About the 91´«Ã½

The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 58,000 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.