SF East Bay’s Jayanti Addleman Receives American Library Association Award
Hayward Public Library director of library services Jayanti Addleman has received the American Library Association’s ‘I Love My Librarian’ award. (photo provided)
India-West Staff Reporter
Jayanti Addleman, Indian American director of library services for the Hayward Public Library in Hayward, California, has been named the recipient of the American Library Association’s ‘I Love My Librarian’ award.
Recognized by the American Library Association for her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, she was selected from 1,865 nominations from library users across the country.
Addleman has made a powerful impact since joining Hayward Public Library in January 2019, according to a news release. In her two-year tenure, Addleman oversaw a major move to a new branch, adapted library services to an unprecedented public health crisis and led efforts to abolish overdue fines for patrons, the release said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Addleman took swift action to ensure HPL could continue serving community members in need.
She worked with staff to streamline the process for registering for a library card online, taking care to eliminate barriers for undocumented individuals, the release added.
She also oversaw efforts to distribute hundreds of tablets, hotspots and other devices to help bridge the digital divide. She also secured funding for a new bookmobile to deliver resources to residents whose transportation challenges prevent them from participating in curbside pick-up at the library, it added.
“Ms. Addleman is HPL’s biggest cheerleader and is always there to help in any way that she can,” her nominators wrote, according to the release. “She tirelessly reminds the community of the services the library has to offer, keeping services relevant and impactful.”
Addleman and this year’s nine other honorees will each receive a $5,000 cash prize, a $750 donation to their library, and complimentary registration to ALA’s 2021 Virtual Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits.
