Candice N. Hardy
Director
Miles College C. A. Kirkendoll Learning Resources Center
Fairfield, Alabama
For Candice Hardy, there really is no place like home. Once a student, she now directs the Learning Resources Center (LRC) at her alma mater Miles College, a Historically Black College in Fairfield, Alabama, where she is taking the values instilled in her and pouring them back into the students she now serves.
One of Hardy’s main focuses is nurturing students’ growth as informed, empowered citizens. Ahead of the 2024 US general election, she led efforts to organize a campuswide voter activation day, drawing hundreds of students to engage with civic leaders and organizations and learn about the voting process. And in the early months of 2024, Hardy helped coordinate the installation of a new exhibit space on the first floor of the LRC. The inaugural exhibition, “Roots and Renaissance: An African American Journey Through Art,” featured works from 25 local Black artists curated by the Fairfield Black Art Collective.
Hardy has leaned into programming to reinvigorate the LRC into the campus hub it is today. From hosting a career readiness closet, to screening a film and panel discussion about the Clotilda—the last known ship to bring enslaved Africans to America—to visits from authors and more, she is engaging and educating students beyond the classroom.
“Ms. Hardy deeply cares about every student that walks through the door of the library,” one of her nominators wrote. “She goes out of her way to make sure that everyone feels welcome. Whether it is a smile, a kind word, or simply being there to help, her presence makes it a comforting place for all.”
Hardy 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.