By Nancy Howe

Public Relations/Outreach Librarian

At a brief ceremony during Staff Appreciation Day on Thursday, May 24, Christine Wolff was honored as the winner of the annual Ruth M. Connell Award.

Named after the first librarian at the Baldwinsville Public Library, the Ruth Connell Award recipient is considered the Employee of the Year. Each recipient receives a stipend, which has been generously donated by a library board member and his/her name is added to a plaque, which is on permanent display in the library. All staff is eligible for the award but must be nominated by a coworker. A committee consisting of two Board members and the Library Director considers all nominations and selects the recipient in May of each year.

Nominated by staff member Diane Holbert, Christine was described as “always willing to help her co-workers, be it with her constant words of encouragement or with any task that comes along.” She also said, “When Chris sees something that needs attention, she takes the initiative to attend to it or brings it to my attention, then offers to help.”

When speaking about exemplary service to the public, Holbert wrote, “I have never seen Chris be less than cheerful with our patrons as she shares her infectious smile and her sense of humor.”

Finally, when speaking of Chris’s commitment to learning, it was said that her commitment to learning is evident in her “willingness to take on new tech tasks even if they are not officially ‘her job.’”

BPL Photography Contest winners announced

The People’s Choice Award winner of the 26th Annual Baldwinsville Public Library Photography Contest for grades nine through 12, sponsored by the Baldwinsville Center for the Arts, is “KOKESHI” by Brianna Mack. Brianna is a 12th-grader at Baker High School.

Other Juried Contest winners were:

• Claudia Fuller (12th-grader at Baker High School) for  “Gray with Envy” (1st Place)
• Jordan Leonard (12th-grader at Baker High School) for  “Thinking” (2nd place)
• Paige Tromblee (ninth-grader at Durgee Junior High) for “Paige’s Butterfly” (3rd place)

Additionally, the three Judge’s Choice Awards were given to:

• Abby Manning (11th-grader at Baker High School) for “Admire the Windows You Have”
• Julio Penfield (ninth-grader at Durgee Junior High) for “Proceed with Caution”
• Grace Skapura (11th-grader at Baker High School) for “Sunset Splash”

Special recognition for the Best Dark Room Photograph went to Eric Delmonico (12th-grader at Baker High School) for “Never Fold.”