Palm Beach County Library System Receives Four 2023 FLA Awards and a Scholarship

Outstanding Paraprofessional
Joseph Dellosa is a dedicated and passionate Library Associate IV at the Clarence E. Anthony Branch of the Palm Beach County Library System. His passion for intellectual freedom and free access is well known and demonstrated through the variety of meaningful programming he's presented in his local community. Joseph ensures that all members of the Glades area and beyond are well served with activities such as story times at daycare centers for migrant and low-income families, organizing virtual story times with the Palm Beach School District and hosting several information sessions for potential MLIS students about their academic possibilities. Overall, Joseph Dellosa exemplifies what it means to be an outstanding library employee.

Library Innovation
Library Association II Joshua Hulford played a pivotal role in creating, marketing and implementing Palm Beach County Library's National Novel Writing Month. The innovative, all-ages program masterfully mixed virtual and in-person resources to break the code of writing for future authors and hobbyist challenging participants to write 50,000 words of their novel in 30 days. National Novel Writing Month featured writing workshops, public discussions and author talks that reached audiences locally, nationally and even internationally. Ever mindful of underrepresented groups and their struggle, Joshua focused on making the program accessible to all in 2022 asking for input from voices the diverse voices within his library system represented within his library system and ensuring that there were more Spanish language writing workshops for Palm Beach County Library's large Spanish speaking community.

Betty Davis Miller Teen Services Award
PBCLS was recognized for its annual comic con event, DeweyCon. The annual free comic con event provides a variety of innovative, diverse and inclusive activities, including cultural creations, board game demos and book presentations from national book award winners, and creates a safe space for young adults ages 13-18. Marketing efforts include radio interviews, press releases and flyers. Over the past three years, the event has attracted a total of 1,832 attendees and over 4,000 materials have been distributed to attendees. Despite funding limitations, the DeweyCon Planning Committee has successfully established community partnerships and developed a network of supporters to make the event possible.

Excellence in Public Relations and Marketing
PBCLS is well deserving of the Excellence in Public Relations and Marketing award! The library system's educational social media campaign "The Library Elves Huey & Holly's Adventure Around Palm Beach County" employed elves Huey and Holly to conduct photoshoots at 19 different county agencies. The purpose of each photoshoot was to explain the purpose of the agency in the form of a poem to potential customer and build cross agency cooperation and understanding. Their successful campaign exceeded clearly defined goals, increasing social media followers resulting in increased attendance in children, teen and adult activities and building strong connections within the Palm Beach County government.

FSU Scholarship Winner
Library Associate V Jessica Waters is currently enrolled at FSU and is nine hours into her degree program; she will graduate in December 2023. She has been employed in various roles within PBCLS since 2009, working her way up to a member services manager most recently, which speaks to her potential to keep working within Florida libraries. She is involved in various committees within PBCLS and has received two employee recognition awards from her peers. Her first essay focused on how she unexpectedly arrived at librarianship, her contributions to her library system, and her desire to do more, while her second essay laid out a path that would help her reach an administrative level with the hope of better serving her staff and improving service to her community. The committee was impressed by her interest in pursuing management.

FLA President
At the awards ceremony, Library Director Douglas Crane became the 2023-2024 Florida Library Association (FLA) president. "I look forward to serving as president of the FLA. For the past 100 years, FLA has shown that Florida libraries are fundamental to freedom," Mr. Crane stated. "I look forward to working with our members to ensure that Florida residents continue to enjoy the freedom to participate, the freedom to discover and the freedom to read."