Nancy Daniel receives 2018 I Love My Librarian Award

Morganton, N.C., librarian recognized with national public service honor

NEW YORK – Today Nancy Daniel, library director at the Western Piedmont Community College, in Morganton, North Carolina, was named a winner of this year’s I Love My Librarian Award. Daniel is being recognized for her leadership in transforming lives and communities through education and lifelong learning. She is one of only 10 librarians in the country to receive this national honor this year.

Daniel is commended for her work at the college’s rural Appalachian campus. Her library includes the Sen. Sam J. Ervin, Jr. library and museum, an art gallery and the campus’ Academic Success Center.

She works on the frontlines with students to develop their research skills, showing them how to evaluate sources online. Students say Daniel shows boundless support, making sure they have a safe environment that facilitates learning. She works with staff to keep a cart stocked with non-perishable food and toiletries in the library for the college’s lower-income community members.

“This award is amazing in itself and such an honor to receive,” Daniel said. “I grew up going to my local library and have always found them to be magical places. Where else can you find such treasures?”

Daniel will receive a $5,000 prize at an award ceremony and reception to be held this evening in New York City. The ceremony is hosted by Carnegie Corporation of New York, which co-sponsors the award along with The New York Public Library and The New York Times. The American Library Association administers the award through its Communications and Marketing Office, which promotes the value of libraries and librarians.

As part of the award process, library users are invited to nominate librarians working in public, school, college, community college and university libraries. This year library users submitted 1,083 nominations detailing how their favorite librarians have gone above and beyond to improve community members’ lives.

In the United States there are 160,000 librarians working in libraries of all types, and only 110 librarians have been selected for this distinguished honor since the award’s inception in 2008.

This year’s award recipients include four academic librarians, three public librarians and three school librarians. A complete list of the 2018 I Love My Librarian Award recipients can be found at ilovelibraries.org/ilovemylibrarian. To share information about the winners and the importance of their work in the community please use #ILoveMyLibrarian on social media.

Photos of the award recipients are available at https://bit.ly/2JPOfZp .

About Carnegie Corporation of New York

Carnegie Corporation of New York was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 “to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.” In keeping with this mandate, the Corporation's work focuses on the issues that Andrew Carnegie considered of paramount importance: international peace, the advancement of education and knowledge, and the strength of our democracy.

About The New York Public Library

The New York Public Library is a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 92 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library serves more than 18 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.

About the American Library Association

American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, ALA has been the trusted voice of libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit ala.org. To contribute to support ALA’s work, visit ala.org/donate.

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