91´«Ã½

Ellensburg, Wash. librarian receives national public service honor

NEW YORK – Today Ginny Blackson, collection development and management librarian at the James E. Brooks Library in Ellensburg, Washington, was named a winner of this year’s I Love My Librarian Award. Blackson is recognized for her leadership in transforming lives and communities through education and lifelong learning. She is one of only 10 librarians in the country this year to receive this national honor.

Blackson is commended for spearheading numerous projects that have moved library services into new and exciting areas with a concerted focus on inclusion and diversity, including the creation of the Family Friendly Space for library users with young children. She was instrumental in obtaining a Pride Foundation grant resulting in the acquisition of library materials covering LGBTQ issues.

In addition, she successfully acquired funding from the Friends of the Library to purchase materials representing Hispanic history and cultural issues. Among her other activities, Blackson leads the annual Women’s History Month initiative for the campus radio station, recruiting students, staff and faculty to record information about notable women in U.S. history.

“Every day I ask myself, ‘Am I serving our students?’ This award has really affirmed for me that the work my colleagues and I do is important and impactful,” Blackson said. “It is especially important for academic librarians to think outside the box to serve 21st century learners. I believe that everyone can be successful if given the support they need.”

Blackson will receive a $5,000 prize at an award ceremony and reception to be held this evening in New York City. The ceremony is hosted by Carnegie Corporation of New York, which co-sponsors the award along with The New York Public Library and The New York Times. The 91´«Ã½ administers the award through its Communications and Marketing Office, which promotes the value of libraries and librarians.

As part of the award process, library users are invited to nominate librarians working in public, school, college, community college and university libraries. This year library users submitted 1,083 nominations detailing how their favorite librarians have gone above and beyond to improve community members’ lives.

In the United States there are 160,000 librarians working in libraries of all types, and only 110 librarians have been selected for this distinguished honor since the award’s inception in 2008.

This year’s award recipients include four academic librarians, three public librarians and three school librarians. A complete list of the 2018 I Love My Librarian Award recipients can be found at . To share information about the winners and the importance of their work in the community please use on social media.

Photos of the award recipients are available 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 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 .

About the 91´«Ã½

91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, 91´«Ã½ has been the trusted voice of libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit . To contribute to support 91´«Ã½’s work, visit .

# # #