91´«Ã½

Bedford, N.Y. librarian recognized with national public service honor

NEW YORK – Today Stephanie Hartwell-Mandella, librarian at Katonah Village Library in Bedford, New York, was named a winner of the prestigious I Love My Librarian Award. Hartwell-Mandella was selected from a pool of more than 1,000 nominations and is recognized for her leadership in transforming lives and communities through education and lifelong learning. She is one of only 10 librarians in the U.S. selected for this year’s national honor.

Since 2011 Hartwell-Mandella has served as the head of Children’s Services at the Katonah Village Library. She is a catalyst who is committed to empowering the community to celebrate its differences by bringing patrons together in a safe, welcoming space to address such divisive issues as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, physical abilities, religious or political beliefs. Hartwell-Mandella is commended for her commitment to fostering empathy and understanding and ensuring that all stories are recognized as important and meaningful.

“This award means the world to me because it comes directly from the words of the community. It makes me feel like they really understand what I am trying to do,” Hartwell-Mandella said. “My favorite thing about being a librarian is making connections, whether I am helping a child who is a reluctant reader, helping someone find services they need or providing programming to support marginalized members of the community.”

Hartwell-Mandella 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 .