Every year, the American Library Association (ALA) recognizes the achievements of more than 200 individuals and institutions with an array of awards honoring their service to librarians and librarianship. Winners are chosen by juries of their colleagues and peers and embody the best of the profession’s leadership, vision, and service as well as a continued commitment to outreach and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).
Award recipients were honored at a June 30 ceremony and reception during ALA’s 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition in San Diego. This selection represents only some of those recognized in 2024. Complete list of winners.
Ernest A. DiMattia Award for Innovation and Service to Community and Profession
Jennie Pu
Pu, director of Hoboken (N.J.) Public Library (HPL), has transformed the library into a community hub with robust programming, pop-up libraries in schools, and partnerships with more than 50 local organizations. As part of a multimillion-dollar historic restoration of the main library, she built the first makerspace in Hoboken. She also led a successful citywide readathon of banned books. Through her efforts, HPL and the City of Hoboken were declared the first book sanctuaries in New Jersey. More than 20 other libraries in the state have followed suit.
“Libraries embody democracy,” says Pu. “Few of us imagined we would be front and center in the fight to protect intellectual freedom, but we are taking it on, and we have the American public on our side.” Read more.
This $5,000 award recognizes a public librarian or librarians who demonstrate leadership in anticipating emerging trends in services, products, and technologies that will enhance the library’s position in its community. Donor: The DiMattia Family
Beta Phi Mu Award
Danielle Maurici-Pollock
Maurici-Pollock, assistant professor and research data specialist at University of New Mexico Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center in Albuquerque, has made exemplary efforts to promote sustainable practices and raise awareness around inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility. She has served as a faculty advisor for Spectra, the LGBTQIA+ student group at Simmons School of Library and Information Science in Boston, and worked directly with first-generation students.
Through her leadership and innovative initiatives, Maurici-Pollock has inspired the next generation of librarians to consider the needs of research, the bias of data, and the possibilities of ethical information use. Students praise her use of virtual learning environments, view her classroom environment as a safe space for engagement, and see her as a mentor, advocate, and resource for navigating a new career. Read more.
This award of $1,000 recognizes the achievement of a library school faculty member or another individual for distinguished service to education in librarianship. Donor: Beta Phi Mu International Library Science Honor Society
Equality Award
Felton Thomas Jr.
Throughout his 40-year library career, Cleveland Public Library Executive Director and CEO Felton Thomas Jr. has demonstrated commitment to community needs. As president of the Public Library Association (PLA), he created the Task Force on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice, which focused on dismantling structural racism in libraries and librarianship and ensuring pathways for advancement among library workers of color. That task force transitioned to a permanent, standing committee of PLA in 2020. Thomas also championed the Inclusive Internship Initiative (bit.ly/AL-Inclusive), designed to provide high school students from diverse backgrounds with paid, mentored internships in local public libraries. Between 2017 and 2021, 198 students from 119 libraries in 44 states participated.
Thomas is also chair of the board of directors for the Digital Public Library of America, where he has overseen the implementation of a program that connects the nation’s cultural heritage to Wikimedia Commons and Wikipedia. He has given dozens of presentations and interviews on the importance of EDI and social justice in libraries, including an interview for the documentary film Are You a Librarian?: The Untold Story of Black Librarians, scheduled for release in 2025. Read more.
This $1,000 award recognizes an outstanding contribution toward promoting equality in the library profession. The award may be given for an activist or scholarly contribution in such areas as pay equity, affirmative action, legislative work, and nonsexist education. Sponsor: Rowman & Littlefield
Joseph W. Lippincott Award
Nicole A. Cooke
Cooke has enhanced and improved diversity in the field of library and information science, particularly among individuals who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Chair and professor at University of South Carolina’s School of Information Science in Columbia, she is the editor or author of several books, including Foundations of Social Justice (ALA Neal-Schuman, November) and Information Services to Diverse Populations, 2nd edition (ALA Neal-Schuman, 2025). Her research and teaching interests include human information behavior, fake news consumption and resistance, critical cultural information studies, and diversity and social justice in librarianship. Read more.
This $1,500 award recognizes distinguished service in the profession of librarianship. Donor: Joseph W. Lippincott III
ALA Medal of Excellence
Loida Garcia-Febo
Garcia-Febo, international library consultant, has made many contributions to global and US librarianship. She has held elected positions in ALA, Reforma, and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions; advocated for diversity, equity, and inclusion; sat on the board of the Freedom to Read Foundation; developed and delivered professional development programs for library workers all over the world; advocated for health and wellness; worked on programs for new library professionals; and taken actions to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Each of these areas of professional leadership includes a strong record of publications, conference and web presentations, and service on numerous library boards, task forces, and committees. Read more.
This $2,000 award annually recognizes creative leadership, particularly in the fields of library management, library training, cataloging and classification, and the tools and techniques of librarianship. Sponsor: OCLC
ALA/Information Today Library of the Future Award
Las Vegas–Clark County (Nev.) Library District
Free to Be Connected, an initiative of the Las Vegas–Clark County (Nev.) Library District (LVCCLD), incorporated three programs to support underserved communities: free high-speed Wi-Fi for households in southern Nevada; book vending machines, which provide 235 books in English and Spanish for all ages and reading levels to bilingual speakers of Las Vegas’s Hispanic communities; and Hope for Prisoners Family Libraries, a program that facilitates educational support for the formerly incarcerated reentering society. Educational resources for the latter include laptops donated by LVCCLD, books donated by the Library of Congress, and a wall-sized vinyl wrap with QR codes to guide participants toward free library resources, social services, and personalized opportunities. Read more.
This $1,500 award annually recognizes a library, library consortium, group of librarians, or support organization for innovative planning, application, or development of patron-focused support relating to information technology in libraries. Donor: Information Today
Scholastic Library Publishing Award
Rose Brock
Brock served as a public school librarian for 20 years before becoming associate professor in the Department of Library Science and Technology at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. She has used her research and expertise to publish a textbook, Young Adult Literature in Action: A Librarian’s Guide (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019). Brock is also the editor of two short-story anthologies from Philomel Books, Hope Nation (2018) and Hope Wins (2022), both of which provide inspirational stories for young people.
Brock is cofounder of the North Texas Teen Book Festival. The free annual festival, which promotes reading and literacy, has provided the opportunity for more than 50,000 young people to attend since it began in 2015. Brock’s advocacy for audiobooks as a tool for literacy led her to partner with author Jon Scieszka to establish the national literacy initiative Guys Listen.
Brock has continually provided notable contributions to the library profession through her numerous publications and presentations, gaining recognition with awards such as the Siddie Joe Johnson Award for Outstanding Service to Youth from the Texas Library Association (TLA) in 2014. In addition to her many years of active service to TLA, she has sat on a number of national committees and award juries that serve young readers. Read more.
This $1,000 award honors a librarian whose unusual contribution to promoting access to books and encouraging a love of reading for lifelong learning exemplifies outstanding achievement in the profession. Donor: Scholastic Library Publishing
Sullivan Award for Public Library Administrators Supporting Services to Children
Susan Spicer
Spicer, early learning program manager for Salt Lake County (Utah) Library, was selected for her success in building popular and engaging evidence-based programming models and education experiences for young patrons. Among her initiatives are programs for new parents to ensure their infant has a book before leaving the hospital or birth center; in-person and take-home experiences that teach reading and math concepts for toddlers; and storytime-to-go backpacks in English and Spanish to support at-home learning.
Spicer is also the creator of an annual daylong retreat called the Storytime Summit, at which youth librarians spend time connecting, sharing programming ideas, and participating in presentations from community partners. She also mentors and supports library staff throughout Utah and across the country. Read more.
This award includes a commemorative gift and recognizes an individual who has shown exceptional understanding and support of public library service to children while maintaining administrative responsibilities. Donor: Peggy Sullivan
EBSCO Information Services Library Staff Development Award
School Library Systems Association of New York State
The School Library Systems Association of New York State is a professional organization comprising the directors of the state’s school library systems and boards of cooperative educational services. The systems serve public and nonpublic school librarians and teachers with a union catalog, professional learning, grants, shared resources, mentoring, and school-based support with curriculum and instruction, collection development, and programming. Their award-winning project is to host a virtual statewide professional workshop to empower school librarians to join the School Library Certification Program. The certification process encourages reflective practice, leadership development, peer mentoring, networking, community building, and, most importantly, sustainable school library programs across the state.
Their proposal addresses two needs: increasing the impact of school librarians on student achievement by increasing the number of sustainable school library programs. Helping school library programs become sustainable will strengthen community support for libraries despite retirements or staff changes. Read more.
This $3,500 award goes to a library organization that demonstrates merit in a staff development program that furthers the goals and objectives of the organization. Donor: EBSCO Information Services
W. Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction
P. T. Deutermann
Deutermann’s novel Iwo, 26 Charlie follows a young Navy gunnery officer stationed on the battleship USS Nevada from the beginning of the battle for the tiny Pacific Island of Iwo Jima to its decisive end. Lieutenant Lee Bishop serves in the main plotting room aboard the Nevada. After the Marines suffer devastating losses to the Japanese, Bishop volunteers to serve onshore as a replacement.
Bishop goes from the safe, air-conditioned gunnery control spaces of a battleship to the mud, blood, and sheer terror of night fighting. Iwo, 26 Charlie is a frighteningly dramatic, utterly authentic novel by an award-winning writer and Navy veteran. Read more.
This $5,000 award honors the best fiction set in a period when the United States was at war. Donor: William Young Boyd II
Schneider Family Book Awards
Young readers
Jenn Bailey and Mika Song
Henry, Like Always was written by Jenn Bailey and illustrated by Mika Song. Henry, who is autistic, starts to unravel when Share Time, which usually takes place on Fridays, changes to make way for a special parade. With the gentle and understanding support of his teachers and classmates, Henry works with the change to find his own way.
The committee selected two young children’s honor books: Dancing Hands: A Story of Friendship in Filipino Sign Language, written by Joanna Que and Charina Marquez, illustrated by Fran Alvarez, and translated by Karen Llagas; and What Happened to You?, written by James Catchpole and illustrated by Karen George.
Middle readers
Sally J. Pla
The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn, written by Sally J. Pla, tells the story of Maudie, who is autistic. Maudie loves spending summers with her dad in California. When a wildfire forces an evacuation, they move to a trailer on the beach. Burdened by secrets and her mother’s expectations, Maudie seeks affirmation by learning to surf. Her bravery broadens and transforms her sense of self-worth.
The committee selected two middle grades honor books: Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt and Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow.
Teen readers
Mariama J. Lockington
Forever Is Now, by Mariama J. Lockington, tells the story of Sadie, an activist from Oakland, California, who shares her passion for social justice online. After witnessing a violent incident of police brutality, her chronic anxiety deepens into agoraphobia. Distinctive poetry and lyrical narrative convey Sadie’s emotional journey of self-advocacy that inspires the change she imagines for her world.
The committee selected two teen honor books: Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest and Tilly in Technicolor by Mazey Eddings. Read more.
This award of $5,000 is given to authors or illustrators for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. Honor titles receive a plaque. Recipients are selected in three categories: young readers (birth to age 8), middle readers (ages 9–13), and teen readers (ages 14–18). Donor: Katherine Schneider
