MILWAUKEE — This year, Kim Tomlinson, a librarian at the Milwaukee Public Library, received the National Library Service Award, according to the KLAS website.
The Julia Klauber Award is given out once a year to a librarian who shows outstanding and exceptional work in their daily duties, kindness towards staff and patrons, and remarkable community service.
“The annual Julie Klauber Award recognizes outstanding and dedicated library staff that work with KLAS in their daily job functions and provide exceptional service to their library and the community in the spirit of Julie Klauber,” states KLAS (the Keystone Library Automation System) in their press release.
All recipients of a KLAS award are eligible to attend the Annual KLAS Users’ Conference, with airfare and hotel included.
Tomlinson says this award will give her motivation as a librarian, “This award will motivate me to continue what I do for the talking book and braille library, its partners, and the community.”
Read more about the award on the KLAS website or read the press release below.
Milwaukee Public Library Staff Member Honored with National Library Service Award
Raleigh, North Carolina – July 13, 2023 – Keystone Systems and the Milwaukee Public Library
(MPL) are excited to announce Kim Tomlinson as the 2023 KLAS Klauber Award honoree.
Tomlinson, Collection Librarian, Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library (WTBBL), was
nominated for her service to the library, its patrons, and the greater community. A highlight of
Tomlinson’s service efforts is work to support the Audio & Braille Literacy Enhancement (ABLE)
nonprofit organization.
Keystone Systems and the Julie Klauber Award Committee will recognize Tomlinson during an
award ceremony held as part of the opening session of the 2023 Keystone Library Automation
System (KLAS) Users’ Conference in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, July 17. Zarina Mohd
Shah, WTBBL Library Services Manager, says, “Kim was nominated this year for her outstanding
work in serving our patrons and communities of Wisconsin and her contributions to her field.
Moreover, the well-deserved nomination recognizes Kim's efforts to ABLE in securing local
grants, particularly throughout the pandemic.” To support ABLE’s grant efforts, Tomlinson
diligently gathers and delivers valuable data including the number of WTBBL patrons in each
county, circulation numbers of a recorded local author from a specific county, and additional
statistics from sources such as the KLAS Readership and Circulation Report. Mohd Shah states,
“The number of local grants received with help from data compiled by Kim from KLAS makes it
possible for ABLE to offer their services.”
In response to word of her selection as this year’s award recipient Tomlinson says being honored
will mean one thing to her: “Motivation”. She continues, “This award will motivate me to continue
what I do for the talking book and braille library, its partners, and the community.”
“The collaboration between MPL and the WTBBL is critical to our ability to ensure fair and equal
access to library materials and resources,” said Joan Johnson, Library Director. “Kim exemplifies
a great spirit of dedication and inclusion and is an inspiration to everyone at the library and in the
Milwaukee community. We are very proud of her work and applaud the much-deserved
recognition she is receiving as a recipient of the Julie Klauber Award.”
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