Lisa Rice, Library Director at the Warren County Public Library, Wins 2017 Sullivan Award

For Immediate Release
Thu, 05/25/2017

Contact:

Cheryl Malden

Program Officer

Governance

American Library Association

312-280-3247

cmalden@ala.org

The American Library Association (ALA) is pleased to announce the 2017 Peggy Sullivan Award for Public Library Administrators Supporting Services to Children has been awarded to Lisa Rice, Library Director, Warren County Public Library, Bowling Green, Kentucky.  The Sullivan Award is presented annually to an individual in a library administrator role who has shown exceptional understanding and support of public library service to children. The award will be presented at the ALA President’s Program, Sunday, June 25, at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois.

Rice holds two degrees in Library Media education from Western Kentucky University as well as certification as a Professional II. Prior to joining the Warren County Public Library in 2008, as director, she was assistant director of the Bowling Green Public Library, Kentucky.  Rice was a school media specialist for the Butler County Board of Education for ten years before moving to public libraries. As adjunct faculty at Western Kentucky University for several years, she taught units in children’s literature and library media.

In her position at Warren County Public Library, Rice and her team provide Kindergarten packets to every child attending Kindergarten in Warren County. A robust school visit program introduces students in grades 4 and 8 to the services and programs of the library. Author and illustrator visits are offered to schools each semester.  In the past two years, such projects as STEM Camps, Girls of Steel, Young Inventors, Preschool Problem Solvers, Pop Up Libraries, and Winter Reading Program have been added to the already notable achievements in services to children and youth.  School partnerships via the Chamber of Commerce, services to Juvenile Detention Centers, and relationships with area day care and preschools round out the commitment to providing literacy opportunities for youth in the county.

Lisa Rice was nominated for the Sullivan Award by Monica Edwards, Outreach Manager at the Warren County Public Library, who said “Lisa Rice has changed the face of children’s services in Warren County and across the state with her advocacy efforts and innovative ideas through her work with Kentucky Library Association and Kentucky Public Library Association. She is a leader and mentor among her peers and respected throughout the commonwealth as the go to person to get things done.”

Members of the 2017 Sullivan Award jury are: Chair, Susan S. DiMattia, consultant, Stamford, CT; Dora T. Ho, Los Angeles Public Library, CA; Sheila S. Umberger, Roanoke City Public Library, VA; Beth Gallego, Los Angeles Public Library, CA; and Judy T. Nelson, Pierce County Library System, Tacoma, WA.

The deadline for submission of applications for the 2018 Sullivan Award for Public Library Administrators Supporting Services to Children is December 1, 2017. Guidelines and applications are available on the ALA website.