Idaho Librarian
Vol. 56, No. 3/4

ILA 2004 Idaho Librarian of the Year

Acceptance Speech

by Tamra Hawley-House

I am truly honored to receive this award. For those of you who know me, you will understand my dilemma in choosing not what to wear but rather how many boxes of Kleenex I would need to help me through the next 2-4 minutes.

I am grateful to receive this award because the very people that taught me how to be a librarian nominated me for it. These are the people that taught me how to be patient, how to be gracious, and how to put the service of patrons before my own personal needs. They taught me how to tell a story, how to choose good books, and how to help someone find the perfect book. They taught me how to enjoy the hunt when finding information, how to be flexible, and, most importantly, how to respect another. They taught me that it is OK to continue being a teacher while being a librarian. They taught me that by working together we can accomplish so much more than by working alone.

Without sounding ungrateful, I want you all to know that I am undeserving of this award alone. This award belongs to all the people from whom I have learned how to be a librarian. It belongs to my husband, who gives me the courage and support to try things that make me a better person. It belongs to my son, who reminds me everyday how lucky I am to me a mom. It belongs to all the children of the Treasure Valley who come into my library excited, ready to learn, who make me say, “I can’t believe I get paid to do this.” It belongs to those children’s parents and caregivers for allowing me to share in the magic of watching their children learn to read. It belongs to the community members who step up and help support library service through their donations and good deeds. And lastly it belongs to Linda Brilz, my former cell mate, who happens to share my brain. Fortunately, for her, she got the good part; I am stuck with the detailed part. You see, Linda taught me how to humiliate myself in ways I never dreamed possible, and she has pictures to prove it. But, most importantly, she has taught me that I can do my job even better if I am having fun at it and if I am not going it alone.

So, you see, it isn’t me that deserves the award. It is all of us who deserve it because of what we do everyday in libraries across our state. All of us who get the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. All of us who get to belong to a community where people and knowledge matter. All of us who, if we pay attention, learn new things everyday. And all of us who work together everyday to shape our future.

I would like to end with a story.

One day an elephant saw a hummingbird lying flat on its back on the ground. The bird’s tiny feet were raised up into the air. “What on earth are you doing, Hummingbird?” asked the elephant. The hummingbird replied, “I heard a rumor that the sky might fall today. If that should happen, I am ready to do my bit in holding it up. The elephant laughed at the tiny bird. “Do you think those little feet could hold up the sky?" “Not alone,” admitted the hummingbird. “But each must do what he can. And this is what I can do.” (A tale from China)