Peggy Griffith
Administrative Librarian
The Ferris School
Wilmington, Delaware
At the Ferris School in Wilmington, Delaware, administrative librarian Peggy Griffith is creating opportunities for youth in rehabilitation.
The Ferris School is not a traditional K-12 school. Overseen by the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families, the secure treatment facility provides services for court committed males between the ages of 13 and 18 who have been identified as serious or chronic repeat offenders and pose a risk to themselves or others. From the start of her tenure, Griffith hit the ground running to modernize the library and ensure compliance with standards from the American Corrections Association. She has worked to accurately catalog existing library materials and replace damaged or outdated ones with new resources, repurpose old furniture to make the space more inviting, and create content for a library curriculum for the school’s teachers.
Griffith also helps Ferris students transition back into the community, providing them with personalized letters of encouragement, resources for résumé assistance and connecting with a social worker, and their own Delaware public library card. She is driven by the belief that access to books and the development of a library habit can positively alter the trajectory of these teens’ lives.
“Peggy’s work is not only a model for other librarians but sets the standard for all professionals working within our community,” one of her nominators wrote. “Her compassion, attention to detail, and unwavering focus on the well-being of those she serves and works with makes her a shining example of what it means to truly care for the people we work with, especially children.”
Griffith was selected from nearly 1,300 nominations from library users nationwide for the 2025 award. As part of her award, she will receive a $5,000 cash prize as well as complimentary registration and a travel stipend to attend ALA's LibLearnX event in Phoenix.
The I Love My Librarian Award is sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, with additional support from the New York Public Library, and is administered by the American Library Association. Since 2008, library users have shared more than 24,000 nominations detailing how librarians have gone above and beyond to promote literacy, expand access to technology, and support diversity and inclusion in their communities.