Georgetown, SC
When media specialist Jenny Cox arrived at Georgetown Middle School eight years ago, she saw an opportunity to reimagine the library as a more dynamic and student-centered space. Today, it’s the academic heartbeat of the school.
Thanks to Cox’s efforts, classroom library usage has ballooned to more than 350 instructional class visits each year. She collaborates with teachers across the school to embed library services and literacy skills directly into classroom instruction. Her robust programming has also transformed student engagement within the library: crime scene writing events; custom-designed escape rooms; Amazing Race-inspired academic challenges; Jeopardy! tournaments for curriculum content review; publishing poetry in a blacklight Glowetry Gallery—the list goes on.
Cox also serves as one of the lead librarians for Georgetown County School District. Recognizing that library funding had remained stagnant for more than 15 years while book costs continued to rise, she advocated for increased district library funding, ultimately contributing to raising per-student allocations from $17 to $27. Additionally, she spearheaded a $400,000 capital funds initiative that placed more than 18,000 new books to be placed into the hands of students across the county, and she has authored district-wide library policies covering collection development, weeding, and budget accountability. Her efforts have earned her recognition as Teacher of the Year twice, South Carolina Pee Dee Regional School Librarian of the Year in 2022, and most recently, Outstanding School Library Program of the Year by the South Carolina Association of School Librarians.
“I love my librarian because she does not simply manage a library,” one of her nominators wrote. “She changes lives, reshapes systems, strengthens our district, and builds futures through literacy, access, mentorship, and advocacy. If there is a librarian in this nation who embodies the true spirit of the I Love My Librarian Award, it is Jenny Cox.”
Cox was selected from more than 1,300 nominations from library users nationwide for the 2026 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 Annual Conference in Chicago.
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 25,000 nominations detailing how librarians have gone above and beyond to promote literacy, expand access to technology, and support diversity and inclusion in their communities.
