By Jason Emerson
editor
The Cazenovia Public Library recently was named a co-finalist in the 2018 Best Small Library in America competition, and brought home not only national recognition but also a $1,000 prize.
The library’s latest recognition was announced at the 2018 Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) Conference, Sept. 13 to 15 in Springfield, Ill. The library’s executive director Betsy Kennedy was present to receive the honor.
“This really is the community’s award — not my award or even the library’s award — because the community gives us amazing support in so many ways,” Kennedy said. “The library is a catalyst for community sharing, and that’s what I’m proud of: We have a community that recognizes the importance of the library, that takes advantage of our services and contributes to the quality of our services.”
Library Journal’s annual Best Small Library in America award is offered to encourage and showcase the work of libraries serving populations under 25,000. The winning library receives a cash prize of $5,000, and two honorable mention institutions each receive $1,000 prizes. All three of the 2018 winners were highlighted at the 2018 Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) Conference, Sept. 13-15 in Springfield, Ill., and are featured in the Sept. 15, issue of Library Journal and online.
This year’s winner was Madison County Public Libraries in North Carolina, with the two honorable mentions given to the Cazenovia Public Library and the Patagonia Public Library in Arizona.
The panel of eight judges evaluated nominations based on key factors, including:
- Innovation in developing services and programs that can be replicated by other libraries, including outreach to underserved populations.
- Success in educating patrons in computer use and other new technologies, expanding the reach of library services via technology, and measuring the outcomes of technology usage.
- Creativity in addressing literacy (or multiple literacies, such as digital literacy, information literacy, etc.) across patrons of all ages, including programs focused on early literacy and school readiness.
- Demonstrated community support.
- Sustained cooperation and partnership with other libraries, schools, other agencies and businesses.
- Increase in library use, particularly by new users.
- Evidence of library’s role as community center.
This was the first year the Cazenovia Public Library entered the Library Journal competition, Kennedy said, although being recognized in this competition has been a goal of the library’s board of directors for a few years.
Kennedy said preparing for the competition has given the library a good focus as to what it does, how it helps the community and what it should spend its time and energy on — all of which went into the library’s creation of a new mission statement in recent years.
“We really follow it and everyone in the library has really embraced it,” she said. “It does focus a board and helps you move ahead — and if you are not moving forward then you are moving backward.”
Being a co-finalist in the 2018 Best Small Library in America competition is the latest in a recent string of awards and honors bestowed on the Cazenovia Public Library. In March 2017, Kennedy received the Executive of the Year award at the 2017 Nonprofit Awards (click here for previous story), while in October 2016 the Cazenovia Public Library was named the best public library of the year by the Central New York Library Resources Council (CLRC) and Kennedy was named the best public library staff member of the year (click here for previous story).
To read the Library Journal article about the 2018 Best Small Library of the Year award winner and co-finalists, click here.
