HPL Receives the Distinguished 2002 National Award for Library Service

"It's extraordinary. I think it's a wonderful accolade for all of us, for the wonderful staff at the Hartford Public Library, the library board and for the city."
Louise Blalock quoted in The Hartford Courant, 24 October 2002.

October 22, 2002…

Going beyond the traditional to transform the meaning of library and information services to the public earned the Hartford Public Library the distinguished 2002 National Award for Library Service.

Presented by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the national award honors outstanding libraries that demonstrate an ongoing institutional commitment to public service. To merit this recognition, Hartford Public Library exhibited innovative approaches to public service, reaching beyond the expected levels of community outreach and core programs generally associated with libraries.

(see White House Awards Program Brochure--PDF file)

"The Library’s mission," said Chief Librarian Louise Blalock, "is to help people participate in our democratic society. We do this by promoting and supporting literacy and learning and by providing free and open access to information and ideas. Daily, we build on our positive connection to the community. The result is gratifying. To be distinguished nationally for our programs and initiatives is a high honor."

Established in 2000, the National Award for Library Service is the only national award of its kind to recognize the public service record of America’s libraries. The award is presented in conjunction with the National Award for Museum Services, established in 1994.

"This year’s recipients of the National Award for Museum and Library Services are making a difference," said the First Lady of the United States Laura Bush. "They are strengthening ties between neighbors and enriching family and community life. I congratulate each of them for their dedication and enthusiasm."

Winners of the 2002 National Award for Museum and Library Services are: Hartford Public Library; Boundary County District Library, Bonners Ferry, Idaho; Wildlife Conservation Society/Bronx Zoo, Bronx, New York; Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, Pennsylvania; and Southwest Georgia Regional Public Library, Bainbridge, Georgia.

"These national awards pay tribute to museums and libraries for their extraordinary public service," said Dr. Robert S. Martin, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Service. "Through partnerships with schools, businesses, social service agencies and many other groups, today’s recipients are addressing the core needs of diverse communities across America."

The awards are made possible through the generous contributions of 3M Library Systems, EBSCO Information Services, METAL EDGE, INC and netLibrary.

IMLS is an independent federal grant-making agency that fosters leadership, innovation and a lifetime of learning by supporting the nation’s museums and libraries. Created by the Museum and Library Services Act of 1996, the institute administers the Library Services and Technology Act and the Museum Services Act. IMLS receives policy advice from two presidentially appointed, senate confirmed entities: the National Commission for Libraries and Information Science and the National Museum Services Board.

The Hartford Public Library received the IMLS award, in part, for developing community partners and innovative programs to address current educational, social, economic and environmental issues. Major partnerships developed by the Library include the Partnership Library, the Integrated Library Information and Management System and the Creating Readers program.

The Partnership Library facilitated a year-long assessment project that brought together neighborhood groups to develop a program for a new neighborhood school. The assessment project, funded by the Schools for Change initiative of the Graustien Foundation, resulted in Hartford’s first model school/library partnership. The building, designed by architect Tai Soo Kim, won the American Institute of Architects - Connecticut Chapter Architecture in the Community 2001 Design Award. It houses the Ropkins Branch of the Hartford Public Library and the SAND elementary school.

The Integrated Library Information and Management System brought all Hartford public schools on line with the Library. The Library staff conducted in-service information and training sessions for school media specialists to raise their awareness of library resources and services. The integration of the schools’ library media and the Hartford Public Library created seamless services. Students and teachers are able to use the electronic catalog for searches on both the school and Library’s system to find books and other resources. This project is supported by HELPNET (Hartford Education Library Private Network), a high-speed fiber optic network that connects 36 schools, nine Library branches, school administration, municipal offices and the Central Library. HELPNET was developed in collaboration with the public school and Library Tech Teams.

In Creating Readers, the Hartford Board of Education contracted the Library to provide a family literacy program in the 11 Hartford accountability schools. These schools constitute the lowest scoring elementary schools in the state of Connecticut. Aimed at families with children in kindergarten though third grade, the program seeks to increase the amount of time caregivers and children interact with books and reading; the amount of printed material and writing materials within the home; and, the number of parents who see themselves as a primary teacher of their children and who feel they are full partners in the educational process.

Over the past two decades public school library media centers have been underfunded and resource poor. Students lacked access to needed information. With the evolving Library/public school partnership, students have access to Hartford Public Library’s integrated Library information and management system. Students, using the same library card at school and at the public library, have a passport to resources that include a 500,000-volume collection, the Community Information Database and a 650 full-text magazine resource.
The Library was also recognized for its partnership with the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, MetroHartford’s community foundation, in three significant service initiatives: the Family Place, Midnight Library and the American Place.

Family Place is a program for parents and their children from birth to five years old that offers read-aloud time, music and quality toys. A children’s librarian is present at every program to model positive interactions with children, conversation techniques and reading aloud.

In a recent Hartford Citizen’s Survey, respondents cited ease of access and longer hours as priorities in Library service. With its Midnight Library, the Library can respond to people’s schedules in the real world by making its unique resources and service expertise available beyond traditional hours. Librarians answer questions by phone, fax and e-mail and help people navigate the Internet and search web sites until midnight seven days a week. New this October is the 24/7 Reference initiative. A reference librarian is available online 24 hours, 7 days a week. The Hartford Public Library provides ease of access whether downtown at its Central Library, in the nine neighborhood branches or in the Library-on-Wheels, the Library’s mobile unit.

With a population of 124,500, the City of Hartford is a vitally diverse community. One hundred and two ethnic cultures are represented and 32 languages spoken in the public schools. The American Place program at the Hartford Public Library provides staff and resources to help people achieve their goals for secure immigration, citizenship and literacy. The program focuses on citizenship preparation, classes for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and life-skill workshops.

Hartford Public Library also partners with many community organizations to promote economic development, improve education and insure quality of life. Two important civic initiatives are Neighborhood Teams and the Community Database.

Created in 1998, Neighborhood Teams include staff members who work or live in the neighborhood or have a special relationship to the neighborhood. Each team functions in a city neighborhood served by a Library branch. The primary focus for the teams is to know their neighborhood, the concerns, issues, organizations and people. According to Chief Librarian Blalock, since the inception of the neighborhood teams, information and reference service has increased by 40 percent citywide.

The Community Database is a resource that includes information on area nonprofit organizations, as well as groups of Hartford residents who have joined forces for purposes of social and personal betterment and enrichment. The database was developed in direct response to the needs of the residents of Hartford. The Library has worked with the Citizens Research and Education Network to incorporate its Neighborhood Profiles and Council Reports into the database. It has also collaborated and developed web sites for the Hartford Charter Revision Commission, the Hartford Adult Literacy Task Force and the Northeast Revitalization Association. The Library has developed local web resources for the Job Corps and Family Support America.
"The Library is committed to managing our resources and services strategically to achieve the best possible results for the Greater Hartford community," said Chief Librarian Blalock. "We have begun to develop a balanced scorecard approach to the Library’s performance. When fully implemented, the balance scorecard will integrate all our investments in systems and facilities, the ways we train and develop staff, our innovative neighborhood teams, our partnerships with community organizations and the ways we design and manage services. We are clearly focused on achieving the best possible results for our customers and the community."

In addition to the 2002 National Award for Library Service, conferred by the IMLS, the Hartford Public Library has received the 2001 Award for Excellence in Public Library Service by the Connecticut Library Association and the Connecticut State Library; the Best Practices Award from the IMLS for its Community Database; and was a 1999 Library of the Year Special Mention by the Library Journal, a key trade publication for libraries.
The Library Journal also named Chief Librarian Blalock " Librarian of the Year 2001." This national award recognized Blalock’s ability to forge partnerships, galvanize government and public support, respond to neighborhood needs and obtain funding needed to provide new Library services. Community partners have championed the Library’s operating budget during city council budget hearings and helped deliver decisive votes for bond authorization in 1996 and 2000. The Library’s bond referendum questions passed by a margin of 10 to 1.

In addition, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded the Hartford Public Library a challenge grant in support of its Telling Passages program. Telling Passages is designed to engage people from all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds in the life of the community through the humanities.

With an annual budget of $6,200,000, the Hartford Public Library can cite among its achievements – 36,000 reference questions answered every month. Typically in any given month, other service statistics include, family literacy programs reaching 2,000 children, parents and day care providers; the American Place reaching 450 immigrants and refugees; 1,000 people attending educational and cultural programs, and 5,000 children using the Library’s Homework Centers. Each year an estimated 3,000 small businesses, 2,000 entrepreneurs and more than 3,000 job seekers use Library services.

"The Library has literally turned on the lights in the Upper Albany, North Main, Parkville and Barry Square communities in order to create healthy, safe neighborhoods," said Blalock. "Our goal is to extend hours at every branch throughout the city. All over Hartford, the Library is a stable, secure place and a symbol of learning and opportunity. Citizens view us as the place where the community gathers and where people have an opportunity to share their ethnic and cultural heritage. This is the most gratifying award of all."