Susan Treadwell, who nominated Cipolla for the award, said, “Before her arrival, the Pacific Palisades Library was simply a place to check out books. Now it feels like the beating heart of our community.”[1]

Photo Courtesy of The American Library Association.

In a TedX talk in 2014 produced by students in Cipolla’s Teen Council program, Cipolla discusses her journey. She begins: “My parents escaped the Communist Revolution in China and they brought everything that they could carry in two suitcases. They didn’t speak English. We were impoverished …. ”[2]

Based on these and other experiences, Cipolla told her audience: “I really understand where you are in your journey and I want to help you get launched. Not just now, but for the rest of your life.”

A major part of her work as a librarian focuses on college readiness. She organizes workshops and seminars that bring university representatives to the library to prepare students for college admissions and to navigate financial aid systems.

In these and other programs, Cipolla treats teens like members of the library team. She told them in her TedX talk that “the team is comprised of other librarians and circulation staff [and] sometimes my team is composed entirely of teens like you.” Through her Teen Council programs she invites and encourages young people to play an active role in shaping their library.

Treadwell said, “The fact is, if there is a program you would like to see developed, she will do everything in her power to  make it happen. And because she is a professional in every sense of the word, it will be first-rate. Her community has come to expect nothing less.”

Cipolla also uses her library to address food insecurity issues in the city of Los Angeles. She leads gardening workshops that empower people to take charge of their nutrition by teaching them how to grow their own food. She leads programs called “Teen Cuisine,” “Container Garden,” and “Worm Bin.” She also encourages blooming entrepreneurs to sell produce and products at local farmers’ markets. For instance, Treadwell notes that a popular “workshop involved students making botanical soaps utilizing the herbs from her garden. The students made over 100 soaps and sold them at the local farmer’s market. And in a spirit of giving, they donated their earnings to an orphanage in Mexico.”

To learn more about other I Love My Librarian! 2017 Award Winners, visit their website.

References

[1] Susan Treadwell. “I love my librarian! 2017 Award Nomination for Annie Cipolla.” ilovelibraries.org. http://www.ilovelibraries.org/sites/default/files/cipolla-ILML2017_Nomination.pdf (accessed January 3, 2018).

[2] Annie Cipolla. “Sparking Creativity and the Library.” TEDxYouth@PalisadesCharterHighSchool. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOoeXoP0N6U (accessed January 3, 2018).

The post L.A. Teen Advocate Wins I Love My Librarian! 2017 Award first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

First, I have a problem with using the phrase “rock star librarian.” This is another one of those empty phrases that gets thrown around, but has no real meaning or pertinence. What defines a rock star librarian? Somebody who actually got noticed for a cool program that brought in a fresh group of patrons to their library? Someone who can deliver a solid presentation at a conference and get the majority of the attendees to leave more motivated to than they were before? This all reminds me a bit of high school with the cool kids versus the outcasts. Do we really need to label people in our profession? Or maybe we should just judge people based on their performance and not whether they appeared in Library Journal or another major library-related publication.

I read pretty much every issue of Library Journal, American Libraries, Public Libraries, etc. and pay attention to library trends through social media as much as I can. Each publication has an audience they are trying to reach and there is also competition amongst them. Therefore, some of the articles may feel sensationalized since they are trying to get your attention. American media in general has become pretty sensationalized. As a result, some members of the library profession have also found unique ways to get publicity for either themselves, or for their libraries. This makes perfectly good sense to me since if nobody is paying attention to what you are doing in today’s competitive tax environment; you are going to lose out.

Personally, I understand why some of these famous librarians exist. Who wants to get paid what we get paid with an advanced degree and not get some recognition for it? Yes, I know we are here to serve the community, but doing just that can burn you out. Also, who wants to keep watching the budgets for police, fire, roads, etc. continue to be increased while the budgets for most libraries and schools decrease? Just like King Kong beating his chest for attention, we have to find a way to not only engage our communities, but also the glazed over eyes of the dead weight that permeates our profession. I say let the rankings continue, let the beauty contests go on all night. If this is what it takes to get people to take our profession seriously and motivates the smart and ambitious to come up with bigger and better ideas to make libraries matter, then go for it. There are always going to be a few rotten apples that ruin it for those who actually deserve recognition, but that should not be enough to derail the entire idea that some truly deserve their moment on the stage.

Reference

http://bossladywrites.com/how-did-we-get-here-the-rise-and-hopeful-fall-of-rockstar-librarians/

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