Theresa Quiner
Director
Kuskokwim Consortium Library
Bethel, Alaska
In the remote Alaskan city of Bethel, disconnected from the road system and accessible only via plane or boat, Kuskokwim Consortium Library director Theresa Quiner is helping her local community thrive.
The library is unique, serving as both an academic library for the satellite Kuskokwim Campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, as well as a community library for the city of Bethel and its primarily indigenous Yup’ik and Cup’ik population. Yet even in this remote area, with a service population of about 6,500, Quiner and her library see an average of more than 350 patrons daily. The constant thrum of activity helps her understand and meet the needs of the community with abundant and relevant programming, including classes that teach camp cooking, canning, and other necessary skills for living in rural Alaska.
Quiner has put in great effort to serve the most vulnerable in this community, primarily those experiencing homelessness and children. She has formed partnerships with local organizations, including the Bethel Housing and Homelessness Coalition to help gather data needed to build permanent housing, and hosting youth programs for the Tundra Women’s Coalition, an organization that supports women and children who are victims of battery and sexual assault.
“Our community thrives because the dedicated members who serve here put their heart and soul into making Bethel a great place to live,” one of her nominators wrote. “Theresa exemplifies this notion of community involvement, and her hard work and dedication to the citizens of Bethel are what makes her a cherished member of this community and a most deserving recipient of this honor.”
Quiner 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.