Item:
Title
Recognition that Durham County Library and Friends of the Durham Library Received the Service Innovation Award and Library Friend of the Year Award from the North Carolina Public Library Directors Association
Body
Date Of BOCC Meeting: February 12, 2018
Request For Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to recognize the recent awards received by Durham County Library and Friends of the Durham Library. On Thursday, December 7, 2017, Durham County Library received the Service Innovation Award from the North Carolina Public Library Directors Association (NCPLDA). This award was presented to the library for its Downtown Library Without Walls Initiative, launched in order to continue providing exceptional service to the community in downtown Durham while Main Library undergoes a major renovation and transformation.
Downtown Library Without Walls is an expansive array of inclusive outreach programs, initiatives, and locations, including: the Digital Access Center at the Criminal Justice Resource Center, which provides computer and wireless Internet access three days a week; the MakerLab at Northgate, which continues Maker/STEAM programming for all ages, as well as Main Library’s popular tutoring program; The North Carolina Collection at Northgate; and increased outreach partnerships with organizations such as the Durham Housing Authority, Durham Parks and Recreation, and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Durham. In addition to continuing to serve the community affected by the closing of Main Library, the unique locations served by Downtown Library Without Walls have given Durham County Library the opportunity to reach new audiences and communities.
Carol Ann Walters and Jane Goodridge, long-time board members and co-chairs of the Friends of the Durham Library’s book sales, have been named Library Friend of the Year by the NCPLDA for their years of work as co-chairs of the Friends’ book sales and their work in 2017 to open Books Among Friends, the Friends’ new book sale location inside Northgate. Walters and Goodridge lead a phenomenal team of volunteer book sorters and a core management team for Books Among Friends. The book sorters, core management team for the book sales, and the entire Friends of the Durham Library Board are exemplary community volunteers and leaders. The award is well-deserved and a testament to the strength of the Friends of the Durham Library Board, the volunteer sorters, and the entire Friends of the Durham Library organization.
NCPLDA is an association of public library directors whose goals are to share professional knowledge and experience for the good of all members, to serve as advocates for public libraries with the state legislature, to give voice to the aspirations of the public library community, and to serve as the primary liaison between the state library agency and the public libraries. In 2017, Durham County Library Director Tammy Baggett served as the president of NCPLDA.
Alignment With Strategic Plan: These awards recognize aspects of Durham County Library’s and the Friends of the Durham Library’s effective contributions to furthering Goal 1 of the county’s Strategic Plan: Community empowerment and enrichment by providing access to educational, vocational, economic and cultural opportunities while empowering citizens to choose pathways for their own success.
Resource Persons: Tammy Baggett, Library Director; Stephanie Bonestell, Public Relations Officer; Jane Goodridge & Carol Ann Walters, Friends of Durham County Library
County Manager’s Recommendation: The County Manager recommends that the Board recognize the recent awards received by Durham County Library and Friends of the Durham Library.
Signature
County Manager: ____________________________