Photo credit:  Kris Adams Wendt (she says the magical hands were not intentional, but appropriate!)

Last week, I had the experience of a lifetime, as I was honored as the WLA/Demco Wisconsin Librarian of the Year.  The honor itself, plus the kind words of colleagues from around the state, are incredible and amazing.  And working with librarians in Wisconsin is a reward in itself. 

Here’s the text of the speech I gave upon receiving it:

• ·        To my lovely husband Dean, my closest confidante, calmer-downer-in-chief, and the person who is best at reminding me to be kind and gentle with myself.
• ·        To my daughters, Alice and Olivia, who inspire me, cheer me on, and challenge me to think differently about things.
• ·        To my co-workers at IFLS.  It’s a lot easier to do cool or difficult things when you have the tactical support of your colleagues.  And in particular I’d like to give a shout-out to John Thompson.  I recognize how lucky I am to be able to go to my boss with an idea and have him invariably be receptive, supportive, and willing to help me figure out how to make it happen.
• ·        To the remarkable librarians I work with in IFLS-land.  These folks are often understaffed, usually undercompensated, serving the public with compassion and conviction, creating innovative and effective programs, services and partnerships, and are almost always willing to serve on a task force, present at a workshop, or mentor a new librarian.
• ·        To my amazing counterparts at systems across the state, at DPI, my sister Youth Services Section board members, and all the other folks who have served on statewide committees with me.  You inspire me to work with intention, and you do so much to collaborate and improve support and service across the state.  I love learning from you and working with you.
• ·        To my partners outside the library world, who help me to think about things with a different lens.
• ·        And to everyone else who I know has helped me be who I am along the way, from the public and school librarians who served me as a kid, to my library school professors, to professors like Paul Wellstone who lit the fire of social justice in my belly, to all the colleagues and teachers who have helped me learn about libraries and life, to a family of origin that valued learning and humanity—we would be here all night if I tried to name everyone, or even every category of person, who has made a big difference in my professional development!