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Library Journal honors library district as 'Best
in America' |
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September 12, 2017 |
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Boundary County Library District (BCLD) is the
Best Small Library in America, 2017, honored
today by Library Journal with the support of
sustaining sponsor the Junior Library Guild (JLG).
"BCLD serves nearly 12,000 residents in Bonners
Ferry, a small community straddling the Kootenai
River, with its northern border touching
Canada," they wrote of our community's
outstanding library.
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Boundary
County Library Director Craig Anderson |
As the Best Small Library in America 2017, BCLD
will receive a cash prize of $5,000 from JLG and
is featured on the cover of Library Journal's
September 15, 2017 issue, available in print and
online. The Best Small Library in America Award
was established in 2005 to identify and
highlight the exemplary work of public libraries
serving communities with populations under
25,000.
For 30 years, Sandy Ashworth, BCLD's recently
retired director, developed the library's vision
and community connections and identified the
county's needs. She saw that openings would have
to be created to encourage residents to innovate
and build business that could strengthen the
shrinking farming and timber economy.
She worked to get new resources and repurpose
library space to develop practical educational
programs at BCLD, to help upgrade and modernize
skills and opportunities in the county and to
inspire confidence that this progress is coming.
Ashworth identified the need to raise residents'
tech skills and saw that the library could be
positioned to respond. She said, "The library's
goal is to provide people with a toolbox to
allow them access to new ideas and technologies
that they can use to make Bonners Ferry a more
successful place."
Today, innovative educator Craig Anderson runs
the library and continues its progress.
"I let the board know that I share Sandy's
vision to take the library far beyond a
traditional library," Anderson told Library
Journal.
"With its dynamic environment, creative use of
resources, and high levels of engagement, BCLD
is a model for all of America's libraries – no
matter their size," said Rebecca T. Miller,
editorial director of Library Journal and School
Library Journal. "By collaborating with local
schools, businesses and community members, the
BCLD team is fulfilling its mission to create a
culture of opportunity in Bonners Ferry."
This year's finalists for the 2017 Best Small
Library in America Award also share a focus on
innovative programs and collaboration to deliver
exceptional service with limited resources. They
are Columbus Public Library, Wisconsin, under
the leadership of Director Cindy Fesemyer, and
Pottsboro Area Library, Texas, under the
leadership of Director Dianne Connery.
Also featured in the September 15, 2017 issue of
Library Journal, the two finalists will receive
$1,000 each in credit toward purchasing JLG book
selections for their collections.
Each nomination was evaluated by a panel of
qualified industry professionals — including
Rosemary Cooper, director of Albert Wisner
Public Library, Warwick, New York, Best Small
Library in America 2016. Entries are judged
based on criteria that include developing
innovative services that can be replicated by
other libraries, technology use and education,
collaboration, and serving as a focal point for
the community.
To learn more, visit
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2017/09/awards/bestsmalllibrary2017. |
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