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| Photo credit: Kris Adams Wendt (she says the magical hands were not intentional, but appropriate!) |
Last week, I had the experience of a lifetime, as I was honored as the WLA/Demco Wisconsin Librarian of the Year. The honor itself, plus the kind words of colleagues from around the state, are incredible and amazing. And working with librarians in Wisconsin is a reward in itself.
Here's the text of the speech I gave upon receiving it:
My superpower is noticing and appreciating
people. I can’t tell you how amazing it
feels to be noticed and appreciated myself, especially on this grand
scale! Thank you so much to the
committee who nominated me for this award—Tessa Michaelson Schmidt, Jessi
Peterson, Jenna Gilles-Turner, and Shawn Brommer! Thanks also to the award committee for this
honor, and for all the behind-the scenes work you’ve done!
As long as I’m thanking people, I have a few more
thanks to get off my chest, to some people who have supported my professional
and personal development:
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To my lovely husband Dean, my closest
confidante, calmer-downer-in-chief, and the person who is best at reminding me
to be kind and gentle with myself.
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To my daughters, Alice and Olivia, who inspire me, cheer me on, and challenge me to think differently about things.
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To my co-workers at IFLS. It’s a lot easier to do cool or difficult things
when you have the tactical support of your colleagues. And in particular I’d like to give a
shout-out to John Thompson. I recognize
how lucky I am to be able to go to my boss with an idea and have him invariably
be receptive, supportive, and willing to help me figure out how to make it
happen.
- ·
To the remarkable librarians I work with
in IFLS-land. These folks are often
understaffed, usually undercompensated, serving the public with compassion and
conviction, creating innovative and effective programs, services and
partnerships, and are almost always willing to serve on a task force, present
at a workshop, or mentor a new librarian.
- ·
To my amazing counterparts at systems
across the state, at DPI, my sister Youth Services Section board members, and
all the other folks who have served on statewide committees with me. You inspire me to work with intention, and
you do so much to collaborate and improve support and service across the
state. I love learning from you and
working with you.
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To my partners outside the library world,
who help me to think about things with a different lens.
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And to everyone else who I know has helped
me be who I am along the way, from the public and school librarians who served
me as a kid, to my library school professors, to professors like Paul Wellstone
who lit the fire of social justice in my belly, to all the colleagues and
teachers who have helped me learn about libraries and life, to a family of
origin that valued learning and humanity—we would be here all night if I tried
to name everyone, or even every category of person, who has made a big
difference in my professional development!
We are in a fraught and heartbreaking time right
now. Natural and human-made disasters
abound, and it can be hard to maintain any sort of equilibrium. People in our state, nation, and world are
dealing with oppression, violence, and personal catastrophes of epic
proportions. I don’t say all of this to
kill the buzz here, but rather because I want to point out that I
wholeheartedly believe that there is terrific potential for libraries to make a
difference. Librarians all over the
state and country are looking at our policies, our collections, our spaces, our
workforce—and making them more inclusive, welcoming, and equitable. We’re considering ways to help people make
sense of the news, and discern what is fake news. We are thinking about how best to support
children and families. We are innovating
services for seniors and students, and everyone in between. We are working with partners, and learning to
take a step back and work with intention toward our mission, and toward the
goals of our communities. I am excited
about the direction we are headed.
This award means so much to me because it comes from
my colleagues—people I deeply admire and respect. I am fully aware that just about everyone in
this room deserves this kind of recognition—so many of you contribute so much
to your own community and to the library community. And even though I’ve been
having anxiety dreams about losing my knack for providing storytime, and
thereby being undeserving of this award,
it’s thrilling to realize that, as Sally Fields said so eloquently, “I
can’t deny you like me, right now, you like me!” And guess what? I like you!
I really, really like you! And I am
honored to work with such an amazing group of public servants.
