LIS Alumnus receives ALA’s "I Love My Librarian" Award

The UNT Department of Library & Information Sciences would like to congratulate Alumnus Doug Campbell (MSLS, 2004) who was one of ten librarians who received the American Library Association’s I Love My Librarian award. The awards announced recently by the American Library Association and the Carnegie Corporation of New York honor librarians for their exceptional public service to the community and ongoing commitment to transforming lives through education and lifelong learning.

Campbell was recognized for going above and beyond to engage with students, like setting up office hours in public areas and residence halls, as well as a “Go See Doug” campaign to get students to bring him their research questions. In his acceptance speech at the awards ceremony held last week in New York, he acknowledged Dr. Elizabeth Figa who he said had “a big influence on his development as a librarian.”

The winning librarians were selected from a pool of more than 1,300 nominations submitted by patrons nationwide who use public, school, college, community college or university libraries. The winners are examples of how library professionals are expanding beyond their traditional functions and providing more opportunities for community engagement and delivering new services that connect closely with patrons’ needs. The New York Public Library and The New York Times are co-sponsors of the award, which is administered by the American Library Association, and includes a cash prize for each winner.

Doug is currently the Library Learning Services Librarian at the UNT Willis Library. He joins an esteemed group of award recipients who are recognized as being catalysts for powerful individual and community change. Only 80 librarians have received the national award since its inception in 2008.