There are a lot of feelings about LJ Movers & Shakers every year. I for one enjoy the chance to celebrate those who are doing excellent work, often without any recognition. And while there were a few years where LJ was clearly making some bad choices and people asked for their awards to be revoked (years where I almost quit LJ as well), They have worked hard to get new leadership in place and turn things around. They still aren't perfect, but it remarkably better.
I love celebrating good things in every facet of life-- big and small-- and this annual event is a great way for me to do that.
This year 3 people I have actually worked with, in person, some over many years, are honored and I can tell you with full confidence, all of them 100% deserve it. In fact, reading their entries, I know that they do even more to make their libraries and the larger library world better every single day. They are Becky Keane, Kelly Jensen, and Alex Vancina. Seeing these three humans honored made my heart soar.
But guess what? I also loved reading the stories of the other 47 people honored here. Reading their entries filled me with joy yes, but it also gave me a full picture of the library landscape across the country. I know this blog focuses on serving readers through the public library, but I am also invested in "Libraries" in general as a ILA Board member, local library trustee, and someone who trains library staff all over the world. I not only need to understand the full landscape of issues and concerns for all libraries, I want to know. You should too.
Movers & Shakers will give you that snapshot-- from all areas of the profession. It will show you the big issues like censorship, but also the small issues like technology infrastructure. It will recap the work done by school, public, special, and academic librarians. It will honor people who do the big showing things, but also, those (like my friend Alex) who work tirelessly behind the scenes but make a HUGE impact. Whether or not you agree with singling out individuals in this way is irrelevant to my reason for this post.
What I am asking you to do is to use this event as a chance to gain a deeper understanding of what is happening everywhere, not just in your community. By reading the entries on each of the 50 people singled out, you may notice that you are dealing with similar challenges. Maybe you can learn from what these people did to help you find new solutions. Or, maybe you see someone singled out for something you know needs to be worked on in your community but you haven't been able to figure out how to begin tackling the challenge. Read about what they did and maybe try their tactics. And of course, for all of them, reach out to an individual that you think may be able to help you with one of your issues or concerns. We are all here to help each other. That is a core value of the profession.
And because this is me, of course I found the database of past winners (which they did not make easy to find). You can go here to see "Movers" by year going back to 2002 (including those who were recognized but asked for the award to be revoked). I encourage you to go back and look at those who won in the past, especially the last 5 years or so, but all 22 years if you have time. Why? Because it will give you a sense of librarianship in America leading up to right now. How did we get to this moment? Look back and see. It is a quick history lesson, but a thorough one because each year's recipients represent the biggest issues of the year before they were chosen-- in all areas of our profession.
And for those who think they do just as good work as those who are celebrated here...nominate yourself. There are many people who win awards because they took the initiative to let others know why they should be considered. Nothing is stopping you from throwing your hat in the ring.
Below is part of the introduction with a link to the landing page. Congratulations to all. Not just the winners, but all of us, the everyday Library workers who these 50 individuals represent to us all and to the larger world.
Over the past 22 years, Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers awards have offered a compelling snapshot of what’s up and coming in the library world. The individuals and groups we have featured represent a range of innovative, proactive, and supportive work. But taking the wide view of more than two decades of Movers reveals much about the field’s status quo as well: what was remarkable that is now expected, what caught us by surprise that has been folded into the everyday.
A look back at Movers history tells stories. The Tech Leaders category was phased out after 2020, when it became clear that almost no aspect of librarianship was not touched by technology in some way. The Storytellers category saw its last entry in 2007 and Collaborators in 2008. The understanding that all library workers are collaborators and storytellers—from directors to behind-the-scenes catalogers, developers, and vendors—is pivotal to what makes this such an important profession.
Advocacy is a critical part the work; LJ has highlighted Advocates among the Movers since 2003. This year, however, it became clear that a new level needs to be recognized: those stepping up to combat the current wave of materials challenges and legislation that would restrict the freedom to read. This not only means organizing but also forward-facing work—testifying before state legislators, drafting policy, collaborating on legal actions, and creating sanctuary cities. Our new category, Ban Battlers, highlights those efforts.
These intellectual freedom defenders—our Ban Battlers—are joined by Advocates, Community Builders, Change Agents, Innovators, and Educators to make up the 2024 Movers & Shakers cohort. They are developing programming for patrons with disabilities, providing a place to land after school for teens, creating and restoring balance to their boards, connecting libraries with federal funding, helping design sustainable facilities, teaching community members how to archive their collections, and more—the 50 individuals profiled here demonstrate 50 different ways to move library values forward.
Click here to explore the 50 different individuals and celebrate everything all of us do every single day to serve our community and profession as we all try to make a difference in people's lives.
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