Love your librarian? Of course you do!
Nominations are now open for the 2026 I Love My Librarian Award. Ten librarians from across the U.S. will be selected from over 1,000 nominations to receive $5,000 and the recognition of a lifetime. Your librarian could be one of them!
From innovative programs to improving access to resources and services to promoting literacy and so much more, librarians everywhere work to transform their communities in creative and positive ways. The I Love My Librarian Award recognizes librarians in public, school, and college/university libraries who have gone above and beyond for their communities.
Nominations are being accepted online through Monday, December 15, 2025.
The award is highly competitive. Last year, library users across the country submitted nearly 1,300 nominations, while only ten librarians can be selected for the award each year. Since the award’s inception in 2008, 170 librarians have received this honor.
While only a handful of librarians will be selected for the award, have no fear: all nominated librarians will receive copies of their nominations and see how much their communities love them.
Among last year’s honorees are Charlotte Chung, an elementary school librarian at Suncrest Elementary School in Morgantown, WV, who engages reluctant readers and supports English language learners; Candice Hardy, an academic librarian at Miles College in Fairfield, AL, who nurtures students’ growth as informed and empowered citizens through an array of engagement activities; and Jessica Gleason, a public librarian at the Wailuku Public Library in Wailuku, HI, who has helped communities in western Maui recover from devastating wildfires with the library’s bookmobile services. All of last year’s honorees were also featured in a special video series from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, For the Love of Librarians.
The I Love My Librarian Award is sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, with additional support from The New York Public Library. The award is administered by the American Library Association, which promotes the value of libraries and library workers everywhere.
Want to help your librarian stand out from the crowd? Check out our tips for writing a strong nomination. You can also help us spread the love for librarians everywhere with our free promotional tools!
