Susan Kent receives 2003 Lippincott Award
Contact: Cheryl Malden
312-280-3247
For Immediate Release
April 28, 2003
Susan Kent receives 2003 Lippincott Award
Susan Kent is the 2003 recipient of the American Library Association (ALA) Lippincott Award, which recognizes an individual for distinguished service to the profession of librarianship.
The award consists of a citation and $1,000 was founded by the late Joseph W. Lippincott and now donated by his grandson, Joseph W. Lippincott, III, who passed away this year.
Kent is the city librarian for the Los Angeles Public Library and has served as library director in a number of American cities.
Kent has authored several publications and has vast consulting experience.
In both her writing and her speaking she challenges librarians to think about the exciting new services librarians can offer people to meet their current and future needs rather than bemoaning the loss of traditional services and traditional users
Kent has received numerous honors including the Public Library Association’s (PLA) Charlie Robinson Award for excellence, creativity and innovation as a library director, and was named Librarian of the Year in 2002 by
Library Journal.
Her ALA activities included council and public and budget assembly.
She is active in PLA, serving as president in 1987.
She also is active in Urban Libraries Council, and served on the board of the Trejo Foster Foundation for Hispanic Library Education.
“Susan Kent was chosen for her distinguished service of more than 35 years to the profession of librarianship, culminating in her visionary and innovative leadership as city librarian of the Los Angeles Public Library; and for the energy, enthusiasm, and selflessness she has demonstrated in serving as mentor and role model for countless librarians, creating needed change agents within our profession,” said Chair Winston Tabb.
Kent has a M.L.S. from Columbia University, New York and a B.A. from the State University of New York at Binghamton. She is an active member of the Bertelsmann Foundation, International Network of Public Libraries (INPL).
INPL consists of 15 library directors from 12 countries.
The Lippincott Award will be presented Tuesday,
June 24, during the ALA/CLA joint Annual Conference in Toronto.
PLA is a division of ALA.
