MLA Announces 2010 Award Winners
MLA honors five members of Michigan's library community with the 2010 MLA awards. Winners are: Martha Esch, director of Kent District Library, who was awarded Librarian of the Year; Susan James, assistant director of Bayliss Public Library, who received the Walter H. Kaiser Award; Laura Leavitt, labor and industrial relations librarian at the Gast Business Library at Michigan State University, who won the Loleta D. Fyan Award; Dr. Charles Hanson, director of the Kettering University Library, who earned the Award of Excellence; and Dorothy Jean Coulter, recently retired board trustee at the Suttons Bay-Bingham District Library, who received the Trustee Citation of Merit.
Librarian of the Year
The MLA Librarian of the Year award honors an outstanding member of the library profession who has been instrumental in providing improved library service to his or her college, university, school institution, industry or local community. The 2010 Librarian of the Year is Martha Esch, director of Kent District Library.
Martha started as the branch manager of the Grandville Branch of the Kent District Library. She became the director of KDL in 2001. Prior to joining Kent District Library, she was deputy director of the Farmington Community Library and director of media services for Ferguson-Florissant School District in St. Louis, Mo. Martha has served as as adjunct faculty member of the School of Library and Information Science at Wayne State University. She currently serves on the Lakeland Library Cooperative board and the board of the Literacy Center of West Michigan. At MLA, Martha has served on the Public Policy Committee and as a board member of the Management and Administration Division.
At Kent District Library, Martha oversees the operations of the Administrative Service Center and 18 branches. She directs more than 300 employees and a talented leadership team. She is a firm believer in professional growth and development for all staff. She promotes collegial cooperation among branches and encourages staff to work on teams and task forces to develop programs and services that meet the needs of the community. Kent District Library ranked in the top 10 in its population category in the National Public Library Hannens ratings in 2008. Circulation has doubled from 3 million to 6 million, the number of visitors has increased by a million and the number of Kent District Library cardholders increased 25 percent.
Walter H. Kaiser Award
MLA's Walter H. Kaiser Award is in memory of Walter H. Kaiser, who served as the director of the Wayne County Federated Library System for 26 years and was a nationally known library consultant, authority in local government and innovator in technical services. This award is presented annually to a librarian, trustee or person associated with libraries and the broad educational goal of librarianship, who contributes an idea, procedure, concept or adaptation that results in the improvement of a library or libraries.
Susan James, assistant director of Bayliss Public Library in Sault Ste. Marie, is the recipient of this year's award. James began as a volunteer in the Bayliss Public Library's historical collections. She was hired as a reference librarian in 2000. In 2005, the Bayliss Public Library was static, marching in place and going nowhere. There was little creativity and no adult programming. James was put on the centennial committee to organize programming for the library's 100th anniversary, which resulted in a nice series of programs. The centennial committee then became a regular program committee for the library, with Susan as the chair.
In 2007, Susan was hired as the library's assistant director. She has since added programs that enabled the library to connect with its users and to build civic, commercial and governmental support in the community, which has helped the library revitalize its image. When the library held a fundraising campaign to make improvements to the library, the community responded. People and organizations now partner with the library for programming and services. Under Susan's leadership, the library now has book clubs, authors, poetry, support groups and three film series. She has led the program committee to higher standards, culminating in the production of two books. Not only has the library seen an increase in statistics but also in a variety of programming. Susan changed Bayliss Public Library from an institution that was literally stagnant into a vibrant, lively facility with excellent programs for all ages.
Loleta D. Fyan Award
The Loleta D. Fyan Award is given to a librarian who has transformed a routine task or an untried idea into imaginative, creative service, projected a dynamic image of the professional librarian, and offered his or her college, university, school institution, industry or local community something it did not have before.
Laura Leavitt, labor and industrial relations librarian at the Gast Business Library at Michigan State University, is an example of a librarian serving her community, no matter how far that community seems to extend. Laura was a crucial part of what made the Michigan Economic Gardening Project of the Rural Entrepreneurship program at MSU successful. She had an excellent grasp of what these kinds of companies needed, and her skills as a researcher were invaluable to both the businesses served and other librarians involved in the project. She was a part of the business coaching team that pinpointed what research questions needed to be answered. She delivered high-level research information, and she also provided mentoring and advice to the public librarians around the state who were involved in researching these questions.
Laura has continued in a mentoring capacity throughout the state as a member of the MSU Extension Economic Development Area of Expertise team and is developing a set of resources for community libraries. She will be the key with this business resource center concept, as it will be promoted to rural communities asking for programs to support local entrepreneurs. She has been instrumental with the MLA Economic Development Community of Practice. Nicolette Warisse Sosulski, co-chair of the Economic Development Community of Practice, writes, "Laura has been generous with her time and expertise in the Economic Development CoP in brainstorming the creation of a statewide asset map of business resources, as well as the contribution via listserv of other free sites that many of us asset-challenged public librarians need but did not know." Laura is an innovative thinker, creative and skilled researcher and helpful mentor to her colleagues.
Award of Excellence
The Award of Excellence honors someone who has made an outstanding contribution to effective and improved local library service, promoted library cooperation, or contributed to professional or community activities. The recipient of the 2010 MLA Award of Excellence is Dr. Charles Hanson, director of the Kettering University Library.
For 37 years in the library profession, Charles has focused on administration in various types of libraries: special, school, public and academic libraries, as well as teaching library science courses at Wayne State University. During his time as the director of the Kettering University Library, Charles has made many improvements. He started the Friends of the Kettering University Library, which helps fund activities as well as purchase materials for the collection. He has increased publicity of the library's resources to reach users throughout the university. He has added new technology to enhance services and create a 21st century library for students, faculty and staff.
While serving on its advisory council, Charles brought a new perspective to the Flint Area Library Cooperative Online Network (FALCON) as he enhanced the work that focused on a shared public and academic library automation system. He has served as chair of this group on more than one occasion as he does now on the PALNET Advisory Council, FALCON's successor.
Charles has served on many MLA committees over the years. He also has made a mark nationally and internationally as a member of committees at ALA, PLA, LAMA, IFLA, ALTAFF, FOLUSA and local organizations. His work with Friends of Libraries USA led to his involvement with Friends of Michigan Libraries. Most recently, his work as president of the Friends of Michigan Libraries breathed new life into the organization. He developed a new website to communicate the activities of FOML and serve to encourage new memberships and participation. Charles is blazing yet another trail working with the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF) to create a Michigan opportunity for trustee training.
Trustee Citation of Merit
Dorothy Jean Coulter, who recently retired as a board trustee at the Suttons Bay-Bingham District Library, is the recipient of the 2010 MLA Trustee Citation of Merit. The citation honors an active MLA member who serves on a public library board or advisory committee, and who has contributed to the promotion, cooperation or advancement of libraries.
Dorothy joined the library board eight years ago, determined to see that the library's patrons were well served. Serving as president, vice president and secretary of the board, she reorganized the public library to a district library. She assisted with a professional strategic plan and participated in roundtable discussions with the community about the direction of the library's future. She approved a professional needs assessment with a thorough evaluation of library floor space. She helped with an extensive capital improvement plan to receive funding to improve the library. "Jeannie has lots of grit and absolutely no quit," board President John Kurg said. With a strong voice and steady hand, she worked diligently with two library directors to assure that programs for all ages were well planned and executed. Reading programs are popular with a heavy migrant population in the area. Fluent in Spanish, Dorothy spent extra hours making sure the 60 to 80 Spanish-speaking children were aided with the programs at the library. She remains active in library affairs, continues her affiliation with the friends group and is available as an advisor on board-related matters.
