Hartford Public Library Director of Public Services Marie Jarry.
Hartford Public Library Director of Public Services Marie Jarry has been selected to receive the 2022 Sullivan Award for Public Library Administrators Supporting Services to Children, the American Library Association announced this week.
The annual award recognizes individuals who show exceptional understanding and support of public library service to children while maintaining administrative responsibilities.
“Marie is always pivoting to the needs of the community, putting Hartford children and families first, particularly during COVID” said Hartford Public Library President and CEO Bridget E. Quinn. “She is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, her management style allowing for organizational growth and continued development of a staff culture of engaged, creative service-minded professionals. Her vision continues to bring programs, initiatives and resources together for larger impact and social delivery.”
The American Library Association said Jarry was selected for “her success in developing carefully planned initiatives to support community needs, managing systemwide collection development and taking a leading role in ensuring that library design principles are employed to create an environment welcoming to all patrons.” Also highlighted was her work on Boundless, an educational partnership between Hartford Public Library and Hartford Public Schools.
Jarry, a member of Hartford Public Library’s leadership team, has written and received more than $200,000 in grants for STEM programming and materials for Early Childhood Initiatives. She launched the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Program and created the Stem Lab on the Go Program for use in the library, in school and at home. She also worked to guarantee that Hartford students and teachers had access to resources using their student/teacher IDs, streamlining access to the library’s physical and digital collections.
Before joining Hartford Public Library in 2016 as Director of Youth and Family Services, Jarry worked at New Haven Free Public Library as a youth services librarian and manager of the Young Minds Department. She received her master’s degree in library science from Southern Connecticut State University and her bachelor’s degree from Central Connecticut State University.
The 2022 Sullivan Award for Public Library Administrators Supporting Services to Children will be presented at the ALA President’s Program, Sunday, June 26th, during the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.
The award is named for Peggy Sullivan, a past president and executive director of the American Library Association.
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About Hartford Public Library
Now celebrating its 128th year, Hartford Public Library remains at the forefront of redefining the urban library experience in the 21st century. With seven locations throughout the city, the library provides education, intellectual enrichment and cultural development for thousands of children, youth and adults every year. Hartford Public Library has also gained local and national recognition for its wide range of new initiatives and partnerships designed to meet the needs of a diverse and dynamic city and region, including immigration services, employment assistance and youth leadership training. www.hplct.org.
About the American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is the oldest and largest library association in the world. Founded on October 6, 1876 during the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, the mission of ALA is “to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.” www.ala.org.