Public Libraries Magazine announces 2020 Feature Article Contest winners

CHICAGO -- Public Libraries, the official magazine of the Public Library Association, has announced the winners of its 2020 Feature Article Contest. 

Feature length articles submitted or published in 2019 were eligible to compete for two cash prizes. The author(s) must be employed in a public library at the time the manuscript is submitted. The articles were evaluated by members of the Public Libraries Advisory Committee. The winner of the Feature Article Contest receives $500. The committee also identified three runner-up articles eligible for the Honorable Mention Award, which includes a $300 cash prize. Those articles were voted on by readers through Facebook from April 17-24, 2020.

The 2020 Feature Article Contest award winner is Amy An, Instructional Services II Librarian at the Boca Raton (Fla.) Public Library, for her article The Mission-Informed Library Internal Marketing to Improve the Organizational Climate in the Public Library, which appeared in the Jan/Feb 2019 issue.

Three runners-up articles were also selected for the Honorable Mention Award contest. Those articles included:

• Welcome to the United States, by Linda Osuna and Carol Reich (July/August 2019 issue)
• Serving Patrons in Your Makerspace Who are Experiencing Homelessness by Amanda Feist (March/April 2019 issue)
• Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach by Rhiannon B. Eades (September/October 2019 issue).

Readers voting from April 17-24, 2020 chose Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach by Rhiannon B. Eades, Public Information Officer at Athens (Ga.) Regional Library System, for the 2020 Honorable Mention Award.

For more information on the Feature Article Contest, please contact the editor, Kathleen M. Hughes, at khughes@ala.org.

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About the Public Library Association

The Public Library Association (PLA) is the largest association dedicated to supporting the unique and evolving needs of public library professionals. Founded in 1944, PLA serves nearly 10,000 members in public libraries large and small in communities across the United States and Canada, with a growing presence around the world. PLA strives to help its members shape the essential institution of public libraries by serving as an indispensable ally for public library leaders. For more information about PLA, contact the PLA office at 1 (800) 545-2433, ext. 5PLA, or pla@ala.org.