Library Journal (LJ) has named Elaine R. Hicks, Stacy Brody, and Sara Loree, founder and co-leads of the Librarian Reserve Corps, as its 2021 Librarian(s) of the Year. New York (PRWEB) January 11, 2021
Hicks, Research, Education, and Public Health Librarian at Tulane University, New Orleans, rapidly created the Librarian Reserve Corps (LRC) in response to the World Health Organization’s need for timely, accurate, and searchable material about COVID-19. Brody, Reference and Instruction Librarian at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD; and Loree, Medical Librarian at St. Luke’s Health System, Boise, ID; quickly rose into leadership roles in the organization, helping hundreds of volunteers organize information on the pandemic for those who need it most. Since March, LRC has vetted, indexed, and helped disseminate tens of thousands of health resources about the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus for medical and health professionals, humanitarian organizations, researchers, and the public.
The Librarian of the Year award, sponsored by Baker & Taylor, honors librarians for outstanding achievement and accomplishments reflecting the loftiest service goals of the library profession. These include: free access to information for all; encouragement of reading; enhancement and expansion of library service to all areas and constituencies in the community; and strengthening the library role and position in the community. Hicks, Brody, and Loree will be profiled in LJ’s January issue in “Battling the Infodemic: LJ’s 2021 Librarians of the Year,” and will speak at LJ’s free Virtual Summit, Building the Next Normal, on February 23, addressing how librarians can fight pandemic misinformation and help their users make lifesaving choices.
