The Association for Rural & Small Libraries Announces the 2025 ARSL Award Recipients

SEATTLE, WA — The Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) is pleased to announce the recipients of our 2025 ARSL Awards. The nominees for these national library awards have set a high standard for our professional communities, and we thank them for their service to rural and small libraries!

Solo Librarian of the Year Award

This award recognizes the ARSL members who wear the most hats of all. The recipient of this award is a solo or nearly-solo library worker (3 or fewer staff) who best demonstrates commitment to their community and to ARSL's organizational values through the work that they do.

2025 Solo Librarian of the Year - Erica Moses, Genesee Area Library, Genesee, Pennsylvania
Erica demonstrates an unwavering commitment to small, rural library service through a range of impactful practices. Taking a hands-on approach to serving her community, she ensures that every patron's needs are met, regardless of how unique or diverse they may be. She wears the many hats of a solo librarian with ease—from carefully curating an eclectic collection to policy creation and program offerings that foster learning, connection, and inclusivity. Erica works hard to ensure the library is a safe and welcoming space for everyone, while also advocating for library funding to continue making a difference in her community. Her commitment to transparency and accountability is evident in the annual community reports she creates, showing where library funding comes from, how it's spent, and summarizing the year's achievements

Other nominees for this award include:

Tammy Fath, Ashley Community Schools, Ashley, Michigan
Dawn Miller, Lakin Library & Envisioning Center, Tabor, Iowa
Melissa Shenk, Horry County Memorial Library, Loris, South Carolina
Gisela (Gisi) Vella, Morton Memorial Library, Pine Hill, New York

Innovative Service Award

This award goes to a library or individual library worker who has employed innovative and creative thinking to devise new ways to serve their community. This could be achieved through the establishment of a new program or service, or by enhancing an existing one.

2025 Innovative Service Award - Dawn Miller, Lakin Library & Envisioning Center, Tabor, Iowa
Dawn was nominated for her transformative leadership that turned a struggling library into a thriving community hub. Under her direction, the library's annual head count grew from 650 to over 12,000, and the facility hosted 390 programs with 4,252 attendees in FY24. Her innovative approach led to the creation of the Lakin Library & Envisioning Center, a 7,000-square-foot facility that opened in 2021 after 12 years of planning and fundraising. Dawn secured grants and donations to fund all but $22,500 of the $1.7 million project. The library became the first in town to have dedicated fiber internet and features a comprehensive Maker Space. Her visionary leadership made Tabor one of only four Iowa communities selected to host the Smithsonian's "SPARK! Places of Innovation" exhibit, and she established ongoing collaborations with the AIM Institute and SWIFTT for career training programs.

Other nominees for this award include:

Tyler Hahn, Cherokee Public Library, Cherokee, Iowa
A'ndrea McAdams, City of Sundown Library, Sundown, Texas
Rio Community Library, Rio, Wisconsin
Keaton Toney, Davidson County Public Library System - Thomasville Public Library, Thomasville, North Carolina

Equity Champion Award

This award recognizes a library or individual library worker who has demonstrated a commitment to sustained Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) practices through the work they do. They have identified one or more systemic barriers to access or service within their organization and have taken action to remove them.

2025 Equity Champion Award - Lisa Thompson, Jessie Peterman Memorial Library, Floyd, Virginia
Lisa was nominated for her tireless work in ensuring that every community member feels welcomed and valued in their library. She works with Floyd County's Recovery Court, helping individuals with drug and alcohol issues feel like wanted members of their community and library. Lisa implemented the Floyd Free Fridge program, providing fresh produce, milk, eggs, and other items to address food insecurity while removing the stigma often associated with food assistance. Her commitment to intellectual freedom was demonstrated when she invited author Katherine Applegate for a book reading after Applegate's book "Wishtree" was cancelled by the Floyd schools. Lisa's dedication extends to professional service through the ARSL Leadership Cohort, conference presentations, and committee work. Even during her personal travels, she continues to advocate for her library—recently establishing a pen pal program between Floyd students and a school in England.

Other nominee for this award:

Aimee Adams, Ritter Public Library, Vermilion, Ohio

Distinguished Service Award

This award goes to a library or individual library worker who has demonstrated significant, sustained community engagement and impact in alignment with ARSL's Organizational Values. Service may be directly related to library programs, events, or services, or may be tangentially related to library work through contributions to local civic or volunteer organizations as a representative of their library. This award can consider service undertaken for the duration of an individual's career, not only the last calendar year.

2025 Distinguished Service Award - Jennie Garner, North Liberty Library, Iowa
Jennie was nominated for her remarkable 25-year tenure serving the same community and her extensive dedication to rural library advocacy. Her commitment extends far beyond her local role through active service on professional boards and commissions with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries and the Iowa Library Association. Jennie consistently amplifies rural library voices in professional discussions and policy decisions, ensuring that small library perspectives are represented in the broader profession. She mentors new library directors in small communities, sharing her expertise to help them navigate unique challenges from budget constraints to community engagement. Her pioneering work with civic commons initiatives has created new models for how small and rural libraries can serve as community hubs. These developing frameworks allow small libraries to be more agile and responsive to community needs.

Other nominees for this award include:

Tina Warren, Upper Skagit Library, Concrete, Washington
Haley McNealey, Upper Skagit Library, Concrete, Washington
James A Tuttle Library, Antrim, New Hampshire
Joy Kyhn, Ravenna Public Library, Ravenna, Nebraska
Dawn Miller, Lakin Library & Envisioning Center, Tabor, Iowa
Melissa Shenk, Horry County Memorial Library, Loris, South Carolina
Jane Sommerville, Retired, Stanley, Idaho
Patti Lehman, Antlers Public Library, Antlers, Oklahoma
Keaton Toney, Davidson County Public Library System - Thomasville Public Library, Thomasville, North Carolina
Clare Graham, Malvern-Hot Spring County Library, Malvern, Arkansas

For more information about the ARSL Awards, please visit https://www.arsl.org/annual-awards.