Every year, more than 1,000 library users from across the U.S. nominate librarians for the American Library Association’s I Love My Librarian Award. And along with those nominations come a lot of questions: Can I submit a nomination by mail? Will you share my nomination with my librarian?
You have questions, we have answers! We break down some of the most common ones below.
Can I submit my nomination through the mail, by email, or on social media?
All award nominations need to be submitted online through the online nomination form. This helps us keep track of the outpouring of love we hear from users across the country and puts everyone on the same playing field.
Please keep in mind that simply posting a nomination on your Facebook profile or as a comment under an Instagram post doesn’t count!
Will my librarian see my nomination?
Yes! All nominated librarians receive a copy of their nomination, so whether they are selected to receive the award or not, they’ll still see all the wonderful things you have to say about them.
You can choose whether your name is included with your nomination or if you’d like to remain anonymous. If you want to stay anonymous, be mindful of including any identifiable personal information in your nomination (we don’t edit any nominations), otherwise they may be able to figure it out.
Are librarians in U.S. territories eligible?
Yes, librarians in American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are eligible to receive the I Love My Librarian Award.
In 2024, Gladys López-Soto became the first librarian from Puerto Rico to receive the award for her incredible work helping students, inventors, and entrepreneurs navigate the complex world of intellectual property and turn their ideas into reality.
Are prison librarians eligible?
Yes, librarians that work in detention or carceral facilities are eligible to receive the award. John Paul Mahofski, a librarian at Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover, Maryland, was selected for the award in 2022 in the Public Library category after being nominated by an inmate at the facility.
Those seeking to nominate a librarian in an adult detention facility can submit their nomination in the Public Library category, while librarians in a youth detention facility can be nominated in the School Library category.
I love many librarians! Can I nominate more than one?
We know the feeling!
Yes, you are welcome to submit nominations for as many librarians as you’d like, but they all need to be submitted individually. That said, groups of librarians (for instance, a team of children’s librarians at a public library) cannot be nominated together. The I Love My Librarian Award recognizes individual librarians for their impact, so each librarian in a group must be nominated separately.
Check out answers to more common questions, as well as the full eligibility criteria and tips for writing a strong nomination, on the award’s website. You can also help us spread the word with these free promotional tools and let the world know how much you love your librarian.
And remember to submit your nomination(s) for the I Love My Librarian Award by Monday, December 15, 2025!
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