VALLEY — The American Library Association (ALA) is now accepting nominations for the 2017 I Love My Librarian Award, which recognizes the public service contributions that librarians make in transforming lives and communities through education and lifelong learning. The national award invites the public to nominate their favorite librarians working in public, school, college, community college or university libraries. Nominations can be made now through Sept. 18 at www.ilovelibraries.org/lovemylibrarian.

Contributions from last year’s winning librarians include providing a safe haven and emergency relief services during natural disasters, working with students with learning or behavioral challenges and youths in foster care and using skills as a former chef to teach the community about cooking healthy meals.

Each winner will receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and a travel stipend to attend the I Love My Librarian Award ceremony and reception in New York City on Nov. 30, hosted by the philanthropic foundation and award sponsor, Carnegie Corporation of New York. The ALA will select up to 10 award recipients.

Since the award was established in 2008, library users nationwide have shared more than 17,000 nominations detailing how librarians used their expertise to connect them to information, opportunities and critical technology to help improve the quality of their lives. A total of 90 librarians have won the award to date. For more information on previous winners, please visit www.ilovelibraries.org/lovemylibrarian. 

To be eligible to receive the award, each nominee must be a librarian with a master’s degree from a program accredited by the ALA in library and information studies or hold a master’s degree with a specialty in school library media from an educational program accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Nominees must be currently working in the United States in a public library, a library at an accredited two- or four-year college or university or at an accredited K-12 school.

Carnegie Corporation of New York generously sponsors the I Love My Librarian Award. The New York Public Library and The New York Times are co-sponsors of the award. The ALA administers the award through the ALA’s Public Awareness Office, which promotes the value of libraries and librarians.