The Wyoming Library Association Awards/Grants Committee announced this year’s recipients. The awards and grant winners were announced at a reception during the WLA’s annual conference held in Casper on September 29-30. Watch this blog for upcoming posts with more details on award winners.
Awards
Lifetime Achievement: Richard Landreth, Lincoln County Library System Director
The Lifetime Achievement award recognizes the achievements and accomplishments of a library employee throughout their library career, including service to the public and/or library community. It is also meant to reflect the goals of the Wyoming Library Association and the library profession as a whole.
Outstanding Hero/Heroine: Nancy Loomis and Jeff Geyer, Laramie County Library Water-wise and Pollinator Bio-retention System Project
The Outstanding Hero/Heroine award provides an opportunity for WLA to recognize an outstanding person or group whose hard work has made a difference to a Wyoming library within the last two years.
Outstanding Librarian: Paula Sabatka, Fremont County School District #2 District Librarian
The Outstanding Librarian award recognizes the significant and outstanding accomplishments of a library employee in the past year, including service to the public and/or library community. It is also meant to reflect the goals of WLA and the library profession as a whole. This award is sponsored by OCLC
Outstanding Library Award: Campbell County Public Library System
The Outstanding Library award recognizes a significant special project completed within the last two years. The staff, library board, community, or people served must all have been involved in the work for which recognition is sought.
Grants
Nora Van Burgh Development Grant: Melissa Haderlie, Star Valley Branch Library Manager (Lincoln County Library System) and Katie Remme, Wright Branch Library (Campbell County Public Library System)
Nora Van Burgh began her career in Wyoming libraries as a student assistant in the Natrona County High School Library. She received her Master’s of Library Science degree from the University of Oregon in 1978 and was employed at Casper College for many years. A strong believer in lifelong learning, she served on the Wyoming Library Association’s Continuing Education Committee. WLA created the Professional Development Grants in 1985 and changed the award name in 1991 to honor her memory.