LA County Library Director Skye Patrick Honored as Library Journal's 2019 Librarian of the Year

NEW YORK, Jan. 2, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Skye Patrick, director of the LA County Library, is . The award, announced today online and sponsored by Baker & Taylor, honors a professional librarian for outstanding achievements and accomplishments reflecting the loftiest service goals of the field.

Patrick has led the LA County Library, one of the largest systems in the United States, with 87 facilities serving 3.4 million people, since 2015. Her efforts to eliminate barriers and increase access to services have had a huge impact. She is recognized for her transformative work and her creative and strategic approach to revolutionizing inclusion in libraries. Patrick will receive a $1,500 cash prize and is celebrated in a Library Journal cover story.

Focused on her mission to break down barriers and increase access, Patrick introduced the iCount training initiative to LA County staff to ensure that they consciously design services and programs in each branch to address the needs of the diverse communities they serve. The initiative, which began in 2017, makes deliberate, intentional efforts to ensure that all community members get the resources they need, knowing those needs differ as a result of race, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic status, physical ability, nationality, legal status, and more. Over the past two years, the entire senior staff of LA County has completed iCount training.

The first African American and openly LGBTQ+ person to serve as director of the LA County Library, Patrick believes that today's libraries must change both within and without.

"There is a strong, important future for libraries.... Libraries are not about books, they are about people. We have to change how we serve and engage people," she said. "The library of the 21st century must build a high level of engagement with the community and all the people and be a constant learning environment both formally and informally."

Continuing, she said, "This field needs to make more room for people who are not your typical library types. We need to make room for different disciplines to come into this field and expand it."

When Patrick arrived in 2015, the library was facing a deficit. In the two and a half years of her management, she has raised more than $30 million in grants, expanded mobile programming, and adjusted staffing to expand service hours across 75 of the system's locations at no additional cost to taxpayers, largely through administrative reorganization. Bringing the LA County system into the digital age and increasing access to lifelong learning experiences for residents of all ages are among Patrick's other landmark achievements.

"Skye Patrick exemplifies the vision and creativity needed to ensure that libraries connect with and serve all members of their increasingly diverse communities," said Rebecca T. Miller, editorial director of Library Journal and School Library Journal. "Her transformative leadership style and enthusiasm have reinvigorated the LA County Library. We are excited to honor her as LJ's 2019 Librarian of the Year."

For award guidelines, visit .

About Library Journal
Founded in 1876, Library Journal is one of the oldest and most respected publications covering the library field. Over 75,000 library directors, administrators, and staff in public, academic, and special libraries read LJ. Library Journal reviews over 8,000 books, audiobooks, videos, databases, and websites annually, and provides coverage of technology, management, policy, and other professional concerns. For more information, visit . Library Journal is a publication of Media Source Inc., which also owns School Library Journal, The Horn Book, and Junior Library Guild.

About Baker & Taylor
Baker & Taylor is a premier worldwide distributor of books, digital content and entertainment products from approximately 25,000 suppliers to over 20,000 customers in 120 countries. The company offers cutting-edge digital media services and innovative technology platforms to thousands of publishers, libraries, schools and retailers worldwide. Baker & Taylor also offers industry leading customized library services and retail merchandising solutions. For more information about Baker & Taylor visit . Baker & Taylor is part of Follett Corporation, the world's largest single source of books, entertainment products, digital content and multi-media for libraries, schools and retailers. Follett is headquartered in Westchester, Illinois. For more information about Follett, visit .

SOURCE Library Journal