ILA Honors Achievers
Ann Joslin pays tribute to
Librarian of the Year award winner, Gard Hanks. Photo by John Pool
Diane Broom, Boise Public Library
Scholarships
Two Idaho Library
Association scholarships were awarded this year.
Both went to students pursuing their MLS degrees through the
Emporia State distance education program. Beth Hoback is currently
working in the acquisitions and technical services division of Boise
Public Library. In her 5 years of library experience, Beth has worked in
every kind of library represented by this organization—a school library,
an academic library, a professional/special library, and a public library.
She has experience assisting students, filling interlibrary loan
requests, cataloguing, and in serials maintenance.
Beth is assisting Idaho State Library and Emporia State as an “on
site” person at Boise Public. She
intends to conclude her education with an internship.
Erin McCusker is the
director of the Boise Basin Library.
Erin has worked in Idaho City for 9 years.
She has been director since 1997, but still makes time to read to
children at the elementary school, work with local preschools, and visit
the senior center. She works
with the Idaho Library Association and Idaho State Library to learn new
ideas for rural libraries. Erin
has applied for grants, including a Gates Foundation award that placed
public access computers in Boise Basin.
In fact, Erin’s board of trustees finds that Erin’s leadership
has brought Boise Basin to outgrow its space—in volumes and in numbers
of library patrons. And that
is good news for Idaho libraries.
Trustee of theYear
The Idaho Library
Association Award for Trustee of the Year went to Scott Sherman. Mr.
Sherman, recently retired from the board at Blackfoot Public Library, has
been a stalwart supporter of library services and staff. He helped Blackfoot run a successful capital campaign that
renovated the building. He
worked on the district formation committee to establish a library district
in the area. Mr. Sherman
understood the need to raise library employees’ salaries, and convinced
the board to pay better wages. And
when he retired from the board, he established a new friends of the
library group!
Special Services to
Libraries Award
Frank Nelson, Idaho
State Library’s consultant for eastern Idaho, won the Special Services
to Libraries Award. Frank has been a constant source of advice and a change agent
for many libraries in the state. He
has helped libraries win local support for bigger staffs, better salaries,
and well connected districts. In
the face of opposition, Frank remains upbeat and positive. He is quoted as saying “In Idaho, if you want to effect change,
you have to put in the time first.” Our thanks to Frank Nelson for putting in the time.
Generous
Gift
An unexpected but
welcome award came from Bethanne Anderson.
Ms. Anderson donated her $100 honorarium for speaking at the
conference to “a needy Idaho library.”
Knowing that there are 104 needy libraries in the state made
choosing a winner a difficult decision.
But ILA leaders decided to award the gift to Hagerman Public
Library. Hagerman Public
Library is busy recovering from a fire that damaged the building and
materials.
Life Membership
A lifetime membership in the Idaho Library Association went to Anna Green of Portneuf. Anna has been a tireless advocate for Idaho libraries. She has taught and led many of us as colleagues. Margaret McNamara, in honoring Anna, remarked that Anna’s grasp
of collection development is phenomenal and exemplary. We appreciate her years of good service to her community and to the
wider community of Idaho libraries.
Librarian of the Year
The Idaho Librarian of
the Year is Gardner Hanks of Idaho State Library.
Idaho Library Association President, Larry Almeida, announced the
award on Thursday. Gard’s
commitment to continuing education for Idaho library staff members has
helped most of us improve services in our libraries.
When Ann Joslin of Idaho State Library asked those who had attended
a workshop or a meeting arranged by Gard to stand, nearly everyone in the
room came to their feet. Support
for Gard’s nomination came from all over the state and from every kind
of library.
|