Three libraries are awarded the ALA Presidential Citation for International Innovation at the ALA 2009 Annual Conference in Chicago
On July 13, 2009, at the International Librarians Reception held at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, the representatives from Hester J. Hogdon Libraries for All in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, the Lubuto Library Project, Lusaka, Zambia, and the Tongji University Library in Shanghai, China were presented with the ALA Presidential Citation for International Innovation by Mr. James Rettig, ALA president 2008-2009, for their significant contributions to the people they serve.
l. to r. Jane Kinney Meyers (Lubuto Library Project), Jane Mirandette (Hester J. Hogdon
Libraries for All), James Rettig, ALA President, Dr. Jinhau Shen (Tongji University Library)
(Photo by Sha Li Zhang)
The ALA Presidential Citation for International Library Innovation was one of the presidential initiatives of Dr. Loriene Roy, ALA President in 2007-2008. It was the second time that the award was presented since its inception in 2008. ALA’s International Relations Round Table (IRRT) worked closely with Mr. Rettig and facilitated award presentations. The citation for each of the award recipients follows below.
To the
HESTER J. HODGDAN LIBRARIES
FOR ALL PROGRAM
For founding and opening the San Juan del Sur Biblioteca Movil, one of
For establishing the Proyecto Movil in 2003, a mobile library project serving
surrounding communities, including remote schools;
For developing a partnerships with
For establishing a ground-breaking funding and volunteer model that creates global excitement about the Hester J. Hodgdan Libraries for All Program
For helping to facilitate the Nicaraguan Library Association, ANIBIPA’s inclusion in the worldwide En Tu Biblioteca campaign that brings workshops to the at-large Nicaraguan Library Community, and for developing the burgeoning Library In a Box partnership of sustainable lending libraries.
President
American Library Association
To the
LUBUTO LIBRARY PROJECT
For founding a professional library development organization that creates indigenously-
styled, model libraries with excellent collections and programs for Africa’s most
vulnerable children, giving them literacy skills and opportunities for educational
growth, discovery and joy through reading, storytelling, arts and mentoring
programs;
For innovative library services to street children—providing a safe, nurturing space and
learning opportunities for children who cannot attend school—providing much
more than a room with books;
For connecting American volunteers and students with their African peers through a
community service program that raises awareness of the impact of AIDS in
orphaning African children and builds balanced and high-quality 4,000-volume
collections and sends them shelf-ready to Zambia;
For working to preserve Zambia’s cultural heritage;
For partnering with governments and colleagues and establishing a funding network to
insure sustainability and growth to develop other Lubuto Libraries;
For serving as a true hero to vulnerable children in Zambia and a shining example of
commitment to first-rate library services for youth around the world.
James Rettig
President
American Library Association
To the
TONGJI UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
For the library’s outreach programs to serve local industries that have earned trust, reputation, and respect within the
For launching the Auto Industry Information Services Platform, which has strategically designed the functions for planning, collecting, integrating, managing of auto data, and providing services to local communities;
For expanding the user group of the platform to include 200 local auto companies and more than 2,000 individuals;
For innovative approaches that act as the driving force to help economic development
and research activities in
For developing a document delivery system that has reached to 2,650 end-users;
James Rettig
President
American Library Association