Hubbard, OH
The Children’s Room at Hubbard Public Library was once a dark, cement-walled basement. Then Mary Anne Russo got to work.
Working with an architect to reimagine the space, Russo, now retired from her role as children’s librarian after a cumulative 42 years of library service, transformed the Children’s Room into an open, vibrant space with natural lighting, an indoor gazebo, a dedicated space for children’s programming, and, just outside, a sensory garden with plants, waterfalls, and chimes. The space now welcomes families into a lively area that allows their imagination, creativity, and sense of wonder to expand, where literacy and learning thrive, and where “the magic begins.”
Beyond the Children’s Room, Russo has worked to bring an array of engagement activities and programs to the library. Through outreach to local schools, she created an annual program for K-4th grades to visit the Children’s room for programming and to receive a free book. In July 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she created the Toy Lending Library to provide families with access to educational toys and resources for at-home learning, which was recognized with ALA’s Ernest A. DiMattia Jr. Award for Innovation and Service to Community and Profession in 2022.
To support intergenerational engagement, Russo implemented “Reading Pals,” a summer program that invites families with children aged five and over to meet weekly at the library to read a new book and share activities with residents from Elmwood, a local assisted living facility for senior citizens. And most recently, Russo championed the creation and implementation of a permanent StoryWalk® at the library to address the community’s “Nature Deficit Disorder.”
“Mary Anne Russo is a leader at Hubbard Public Library, the Hubbard community, and beyond,” wrote one of her nominators. “She inspires many others by her ‘above and beyond’ actions and her passion, vision, and commitment.”
Russo 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.
