This is a national award given annually by Library Journal to honor “the U.S. public library that most profoundly demonstrates outstanding service to populations of 25,000 or less.”
This is the 1st time a NC public library has received this prestigious recognition. Library Director Melanie Morgan accepted the award at the 2018 Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) Conference on Friday, September 14th in Springfield, IL. MCPLs are featured on the cover of the September 15, 2018 issue of Library Journal as well as online. Click HERE to view the full article.
While MCPLs are over the moon to be named Best Small Library in America, we know that we didn’t do it alone. Morgan says, “As the Library Director of the Madison County Public Libraries, I believe in the POWER of libraries, and their ability to transform lives in our community. Over the past four years I have had the honor to work with an amazing staff that shares that vision, and has helped transform the MCPLs into the Best Small Library in America. I am grateful to the Library Trustees and Friends, County officials, and more importantly the residents of Madison County who continue to support that vision. This award was won by all of us, and is a testament to what small and rural libraries can accomplish with community support.”
MCPLs truly appreciate the community partnerships that led to the creation of the outstanding programs that contributed to our success. These partnerships include Madison County Schools and Madison County entities like Partnership for Children and PAGE (Partnership for Appalachian Girls Education), AB Tech Community College and Mars Hill University as well as our 3 amazing Library Friends groups. But truly, MCPLs’ best partnership is with YOU—our valued community of almost 11,000 patrons that have a library card and use it. We share this award with you.
