On February 1, Berks County Public Libraries honored leadership and service excellence during its 19th annual awards celebration, this year held virtually on Microsoft Teams. The event marked the first time since early 2020 that members of the Berks County library community were able to recognize individuals and organizations for their support and contributions to public libraries in Berks County.
“While we had hoped to hold this year’s awards in person, the current COVID-19 situation caused us to shift to a virtual format,” said Amy Resh, system administrator for Berks County Public Libraries.
After canceling the previous awards ceremony due to the pandemic’s winter surge, event organizers were determined to resume the annual awards regardless of venue. 41 total nominations were received in categories such as Outstanding Local Business, Trustee of the Year, and the Chet Hagan Memorial Public Relations Award, among others. The Berks County Public Libraries Advisory Board considered nominations from either of the last two years and announced the category winners during the ceremony.
“The pandemic may have caused us to cancel the 2020 awards, it didn’t stop libraries from achieving great accomplishments that year,” stated Resh. “We wanted to recognize and honor some of the outstanding individuals who helped serve our community during the height of the pandemic.”
The awards served as a testament to the strength and unrelenting commitment from those who helped keep library services operational over the last two years.
The award recipients from the 19th annual awards celebration are as follows:
- Dreisbach Award for Exemplary Service — Jennifer Smilko, former administrative assistant for the Berks County Public Library System
- Linda Baer Friend of the Year — Jean Davis, Fleetwood Area Public Library
- Trustee of the Year — Paul Hoh, Reading Public Library
- Outstanding Community Organization — Exeter Township Public Works Department
- Outstanding Local Business — Boscov’s Department Store, LLC
- Outstanding Elected Official — Leesport Borough Council
- Outstanding Library Director — Natasha Donaldson, Mifflin Community Library
- Outstanding Library Staff Member — Stacy Laucks, Fleetwood Area Public Library
- Outstanding Fundraising Effort — Country Cruise, Kutztown Community Library
- Outstanding Program — StoryWalk, Boyertown Community Library
- Chet Hagan Memorial Public Relations Award — Kutztown Community Library
- Certificate of Merit — Sylvia Shaner, Muhlenberg Community Library volunteer
For more information about each award and this year’s recipients, please visit our website at www.berkslibraries.org/19th-annual-awards.
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