Berks librarian awarded for work amid pandemic
Mifflin Community Library Director received the inaugural Professional Librarian Award
The Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Pennsylvania Library Association presented its inaugural Professional Librarian Award to Mifflin Community Library Director Natasha Donaldson.
Recognizing a member who exhibits leadership, initiative and creativity in their position, the Professional Librarian Award honors a librarian who provides outstanding and ongoing contributions to librarianship and is a strong advocate for libraries.
“We were astonished by the number of nominees that were proposed for this inaugural award,” said Janet Yost, previous Chapter Chair and Kutztown Community Library Director.
“Donaldson is an exceptional librarian, always organized and aware of community needs,” said Yost. “She serves on several Berks County Public Libraries’ committees and assists other directors.”
Donaldson helped create the “how-to manual” for directors and pairs the newbies with an experienced mentor. She serves as the vice-president of the Berks County Librarians Association, which promotes excellence in librarianship and offers professional development.
“Her vision for libraries coupled with her willingness to share and promise of continued growth demonstrates that she is a worthy candidate,” stated the Lehigh Valley Chapter of PaLA in the award announcement.
The Chapter also noted that Donaldson works to continually improve the Lehigh Valley Chapter libraries, which includes Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties.
“In the beginning of the pandemic, when most directors were fumbling with Zoom, Donaldson confidently began virtual programming for the community and collaborative meetings,” stated the Lehigh Valley Chapter of PaLA.
Donaldson hosts the online Library Director’s Forums where directors shared ideas and solutions to COVID issues.
“Without Natasha our forums would have become a thing of the past, which would have been a great disservice to not just the library directors but ultimately the patrons,” said Melissa Adams, who has served as Muhlenberg Community Library Director since 2016 and was recently named Reading Public Library Executive Director.
Donaldson said that once they got over the initial shock of the shutdown and realized the potential length that libraries and other businesses might be shut down, she decided to purchase a subscription to Zoom since the 45 limit for the free was insufficient for library programs and meetings.
“I immediately began analyzing the different possibilities to keep us functioning and serving our community,” said Donaldson.
Within the first week, she began meeting with the Adult Coordinator and Children’s Librarian regularly to discuss ways the library could help the community during this difficult time.
“We began to post more frequently on our social media and also added helpful links and other support. We had some recorded story times and then began to offer Zoom story times and
some adult programs to allow people to connect with each other during the time of the worst isolation,” she said.
“Once I felt that we had some direction for our library services, I decided to reach out to my fellow directors to see how they were doing,” continued Donaldson.
Normally, the library directors meet once a month at a Library Director’s Forum which was hosted at a different library each time. However, this was obviously impossible with the shutdown, so Donaldson offered to host a weekly Forum on Zoom.
“I felt it was more vital than ever for directors to remain connected and share the struggles we were dealing with,” she said. “Honestly, there are few other people who fully understand the unique stresses of this position as well as a fellow library director.”
Besides discussing their struggles, they also shared solutions to the issues they encountered whether it was how to run a successful Zoom program, or even how to promote the programs.
“I did not really see it as anything special since it was just as much for my own benefit as theirs, since I still feel I am learning from them even after being a director for five years,” said Donaldson.
Donaldson was both pleased and surprised to receive the award as she was completely unaware that she had been nominated.
“To be honest, I generally prefer to remain behind the scenes; however, I was very grateful to receive this award from the Lehigh Valley Chapter of PaLA,” said Donaldson. “It is meaningful to know that my efforts have been appreciated by those I consider to be my peers.”
“However, I must say that I would not have been able to do it without my very competent staff who work to keep the library running smoothly, and the support of my board as well,” she added. “Their efforts allow me to consider the bigger picture, serve on a variety of committees, and also reach out to help my fellow directors in their efforts.”
This is the first year that this award has been presented.
“I think it has great significance not only to me as it has encouraged me in my efforts, but also to my fellow professional librarians. I know that as it continues, it will be a great opportunity to acknowledge the many professional librarians who do so much for their communities as they serve in their local libraries, often with little recognition for their service,” said Donaldson.
Support Staff Award
The Lehigh Valley Chapter of PaLA also presented the Support Staff Award to Hope Sagnip of Lehigh University Libraries.
“It is excellent staff such as Donaldson and Sagnip that provide valuable services that keep our communities libraries connected and growing,” the Lehigh Valley Chapter of PaLA stated in the announcement.
The Support Staff Award recognizes a library staff member who exhibits leadership, initiative, creativity and a positive attitude in providing exemplary services.
“Sagnip is a positive and productive staff member. serves on the Lending Services and the Technical Services teams. Her customer service skills at the Lending Services desk are exceptional,” said Supervisor Sharon Wiles-Young. “She handles all types of questions, and is professional, kind and thorough with her answers.”
In Technical Services, she assists with resolving issues and verifying journal titles in the online catalog.
“Sagnip is happy to join in on a project and is immediately engaged in the work. She embraces change without hesitation and helps others learn workflows.”
Sagnip has been a member of the Library’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, currently serves on the Library Welcome Committee, and cofacilitates the Student Library Advisory Board. Recently she partnered with the Lehigh Center for Gender Equity to plan a knitting and craft de-stress workshop during finals in the library.
Sagnip created instructional videos including one importing bibliographic records into the online catalogue that was shared with the library community.
At a Technical Services’ weekly meeting, Sagnip presented a session on digital storytelling to help the staff think about presenting information effectively.
“Sagnip did a great job of staying positive with COVID safety in mind and is a delight to have as a coworker,” said Wiles-Young.
The award recipients received a one year paid membership in the Pennsylvania Library Association and an award certificate.
The PaLA is the state’s oldest professional library organization which strengthens Pennsylvania’s libraries through advocacy, education, and leadership. The Lehigh Valley Chapter, one of eight state chapters, covers Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties.
For more information about the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Pennsylvania Library Association, visit https://www.palibraries.org/page/LV_Chapter.