At George Washington University, David Ettinger is using his expertise in international affairs and political science to support and shape the research mission of the university. This includes helping steward the library’s acquisition of one of the largest international affairs collections in the Washington, D.C. area.

From building creative and thematic research guides that incentivize intellectual curiosity to delivering entertaining and accessible instruction sessions, Ettinger’s student-centered approach to research assistance is improving student learning while highlighting the library’s role in advancing student success. Student and faculty nominators praised Ettinger’s classroom instruction and individualized research assistance as engaging, accessible and formative in shaping their relationship with the library.

Ettinger was selected from more than 1,500 nominations from library users nationwide for the 2023 award. As part of his award, he will receive a $5,000 cash prize as well as complimentary registration and a travel stipend to attend ALA's LibLearnX event in New Orleans.

The I Love My Librarian Award is sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, with additional support from the New York Public Library. Since 2008, library users have shared more than 23,000 nominations detailing how librarians have gone above and beyond to promote literacy, expand access to technology, and support diversity and inclusion in their communities.