Library of Congress Awards Celebrate Federal Library Excellence

Library of Congress Awards Celebrate Federal Library Excellence

The Federal Library and Information Network (FEDLINK) has announced the winners of its national awards for federal librarianship, which recognize the many innovative ways that federal libraries, librarians, and library technicians fulfill the information demands of the government, business and scholarly communities, and the American public.

Federal libraries and staff throughout the United States and abroad competed for the awards. The following winners were chosen for their contributions to federal library and information throughout fiscal year 2023.

2023 Federal Libraries/Information Centers of the Year

Large library/information center (staff of 11 or more):

Information Science and Knowledge Management Branch, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center,Vicksburg, Mississippi

The Information Science and Knowledge Management Branch of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, responsible for the center’s library services and technical publishing, is recognized for supporting mission-essential research for 2,300 scientists, engineers, and staff at seven laboratories in four states. In fiscal year 2023, the library launched the first partnership between a defense library and Google Books to digitize materials. The library also redesigned its physical space, driving a 39% increase in on-site visits. They offered a hybrid collaboration space for researchers and librarians to work together both virtually and onsite, overhauled book displays, installed a video wall, and created a virtual reality version of the library, where researchers use VR headsets to interact with library resources. A branch-level cost-benefit analysis showed that every $1 invested in the branch brought in $5.68 in organizational benefits, yielding a 468% return on investment. While reference staff resolved nearly 900 complex research questions and 5,000 quick reference questions, the library’s editing teams worked with more than 500 researchers to publish over 200 technical reports and make these engineering and scientific solutions accessible to a broad defense audience.

Small library/information center (staff of 10 or fewer):

Garmisch Library, U.S. Army Garrison, Bavaria, Germany

Garmisch Library is recognized for its passion for service and commitment to its diverse community of 887 patrons, including NATO members, U.S servicemembers and their families, military retirees and local nationals. Prioritizing outreach efforts in fiscal year 2023, the library formed new partnerships with Army Community Services, Child Development Center and Garmisch Elementary Middle School and earned a 100% satisfaction rate, the highest rating at the installation. Staff expanded inclusive services by offering STEM programming for middle and high school students, creating computer stations for families with small children, and providing low sensory sections at library events. Garmisch staff presentations on the success of their Science, Technology, Engineering and Math programming led to its 3D printing program becoming a model that was adopted by other libraries. Expanded community engagement increased program participation by 53%, patronage by 30%, and circulation by 22%, while building a core of library volunteers to support lifelong learning.

2023 Federal Library Technician of the Year

Kimberly Reels, Library Technician, CW2 Christopher G. Nason Military Intelligence Library, Fort Huachuca, Arizona

Kimberly Reels is recognized for her library process innovations, training and instructional skills, and dedication to her library’s community. By developing a new online system for reference requests, she dramatically reduced response time to 24 hours per query and supported the creation of a new research database for students and faculty. She fulfilled 228 of the 450 research requests submitted to the new system. Reels also developed a partnership with the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence to design specialized workshops for Army students to learn core research skills while linking them to key library resources. Whether providing in-depth research assistance to students of all course levels, developing in-demand workshops, or redesigning the library’s website, Reels consistently demonstrated her adaptability and commitment to ensuring her patrons had the training and operational support they needed to meet Fort Huachuca’s testing, training, and operational missions.

The Federal Library and Information Network (FEDLINK) is an organization of federal agencies working together to achieve the optimum use of the resources and facilities of federal libraries and information centers by promoting common services, coordinating and sharing available resources, and providing continuing professional education for federal library and information staff. FEDLINK serves as a forum for the discussion of the policies, programs, procedures, and technologies that affect federal libraries and the information services they provide to their agencies, Congress, the federal courts, and the American people.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov, access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.govand register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.

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Media Contact: María Peña, mpena@loc.gov

Public Contact: Robin Harvey, rhat@loc.gov

PR 24-043
05-15-2024
ISSN 0731-3527