MEDIA CONTACT:
Rebecca Winning
Associate Director, Communications and Public Engagement
303-275-2203
rebecca.winning@jeffcolibrary.org
Jefferson County Public Library Receives National Recognition from Library Journal and Gale
(Lakewood, Colo. - June 20, 2011) Jefferson County Public Library (JCPL) announced today that it has received national recognition for innovation and excellence – for the second year in a row – from
Library Journal and Gale (part of Cengage Learning) in their annual Library of the Year award competition. King County Library System, in Issaquah, Wash. was named 2011 Library of the Year, and JCPL was one of only three public libraries to receive special mention for "featuring the service philosophy and dedication to community that signify a Library of the Year." Special recognition was also given to Middle County Public Library in Centereach, N.Y. and San Diego Public Library in San Diego, Calif.
"We want to congratulate JCPL for continuing to provide stand-out library service," said
Library Journal's Editor-in-Chief, Francine Fialkoff. "We are pleased to recognize their ongoing success in understanding and meeting the diverse needs of their communities."
"I'm especially proud of JCPL employees, who continue to meet a standard of excellence despite significant budget challenges," said Marcellus Turner, executive director, JCPL. "This recognition is a testament to their unflagging efforts to deliver a meaningful level of service in the context of ongoing budget constraints."
JCPL has suffered a $1.9 million reduction in revenues over the past two years. As a result, the Library has taken some painful steps to reduce expenses and balance the Library's budget, including closing libraries on Mondays, reducing staffing levels, trimming the budget for library materials and resources, and foregoing staff merit increases for two years in a row. Revenue projections for 2012 suggest that further reductions will be required to ensure the long tem success and sustainability of the library system.
"These are tough times for JCPL," Turner noted. "Our challenge will be to find ways to balance our budget while minimizing further reductions to library services. That said, you can rest assured that we will continue to strive for excellence and innovation as we go forward."
The Library of the Year award is granted to a public library in the United States that best demonstrates service to the community; creativity and innovation in developing specific community programs; a dramatic increase in library usage; and/or leadership in creating programs that can be emulated by other libraries.
View JCPL's application for Library of the Year.
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About Jefferson County Public Library
Jefferson County Public Library (JCPL) is the one of the largest public libraries in the state of Colorado. Our mission is to meet the changing needs of our communities by providing information and environments that promote personal growth and community transformation. A JCPL library card is the smartest card in your wallet, giving you access to an online library that operates 24 hours per day, seven days per week, a network of 10 libraries, a Bookmobile, a Traveling Children's Library and an eTrain mobile computer training lab, as well as books, periodicals, CDs and DVDs, audio and eBooks, and computer and Internet resources. For more information contact your local library or visit
www.jeffcolibrary.org.
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