As part of Penguin Random House’s ongoing social responsibility and efforts to nourish the next generation of readers, the first-ever Penguin Random House Library Awards for Innovation grant recipients were announced this past weekend at the American Library Association Midwinter meeting. Skip Dye, Vice President, Academic Marketing & Library Sales presented the awards at the Penguin Random House Librarian Reception, held on opening day of the ALA conference in Atlanta.
“It’s such an honor to highlight and celebrate some of the extraordinary and innovative programs which librarians have created to connect and grow literacy in their communities,” said Mr. Dye. “Never has there been a more important time to encourage, support and value the impact that librarians have in our society. These librarians, in fact all librarians, are doing their part to transform their communities while strengthening the social and cultural fabric of our world.”
The First Place $10,000 Grant Award winner was Kay Marner of the Ames Public Library. By bringing together the Ames Public Library, a local nonprofit, and Iowa State University, Ms. Marner and her team embodied the spirit of the Library Innovation Awards with their focus on collaboration in service to local communities. Together, they identified the urgent need for early childhood literacy development programs and became one of only two libraries in the U.S. to pilot and test the efficacy of a community-based program aimed at teaching parents to leverage the power of language to jumpstart their babies’ literacy growth. In accepting her award, Ms. Marner thanked Penguin Random House and noted that the grant money will be used to help support the further efforts of Ames and Iowa State as they continue their valuable work. She also encouraged her fellow librarians to apply for the next Library Awards for Innovation.
Open to public libraries and public school libraries across the United States, the awards aim to encourage citizens to participate in and support reading initiatives that connect libraries with their communities. Be sure to apply for the 2018 Award today! The application deadline is April 15, 2018.
Click for More Information about the 2017 Winners.
Click for More Information about the 2018 Awards and to Apply.