Marcia Vining, librarian at the Ignacio Community Library, was awarded the "Excellence in Youth Services" award at the annual Colorado Association of Libraries conference in Loveland on Friday, Oct. 23.
The award celebrates the importance of offering quality library services to children and teens.
"Marcia has been creative and tireless in her work with community youth," said Leslee Shell, the library director. "She coordinates bringing a Colorado author to visit the Ignacio Middle School. The program inspires many young readers and writers. Marcia also coordinates a superb summer reading program."
Under Vining's direction, the summer reading program doubled in participants not just starting, but finishing, the program.
In addition to providing summer programs, Vining coordinates three adult book clubs, a new teen book club, and Inklings, a book club for second and third graders.
"No job is too big or too small for Marcia," Shell added. Last year she designed a float for the San Ignacio Fiesta parade, ordered prizes to hand out to children, and pushed the float (on a hand cart) herself. Vining is a trained Motheread facilitator and participates in the library's outreach to the Southern Ute Detention Center. She coordinates the Family Reading Circles program that brings families to the library to eat together and study children's literature.
Vining is the first person in the state of Colorado to win the "Excellence in Youth Services" award.
