Y.O.U. mentor named 2022 Ohio Librarian of the Year

Sep 20

By Alexis Oatman, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio-- Kacie Armstrong, the 2022 recipient of the ‘Ohio Librarian of the Year’ award, has had a love of reading since childhood.

In her youth, Armstrong moved around several times before settling in the Glenville neighborhood and recalls many vivid memories of walking the aisles of the local library as a child.

“It was so magical,” Armstrong said.

Although she always loved reading, she was unsure how to make a career out of it. It was during a goal-setting session during her time as a mentor with Youth Opportunities Unlimited that she actually thought about making that dream a reality.

“I put my goal down as pursuing a master’s degree, which meant I had to do the research,” she said.

That research led her to converse with a children’s librarian at the Euclid Public Library, who encouraged her to return to school.

Armstrong would go on to pursue her master’s degree in library science in 2003, and one year later, she landed a job working at Cleveland Public Library, where she remained until 2013 when she took the job as the director at Euclid Public Library.

After learning she was the recipient of the ‘Ohio Librarian of the Year’ award, Armstrong said she was not only honored to be recognized among her peers but happy to represent her home state.

Armstrong is the first Black woman and the third Black library director overall to receive the honor.

The Ohio Library Council presents the distinguished achievement of recognizing librarians whose recent accomplishments have impacted the library profession or library services to the community.

Throughout the pandemic, Armstrong and her staff at the Euclid Public Library helped provide critical census information and community outreach by helping bridge virtual learning gaps and offering college prep testing for students and meals to those in need.

She also worked with Euclid City Schools, College Now Greater Cleveland, and area private schools to address learning loss due to the pandemic.

In addition, Armstrong continues to advocate for diversity for Black and other minority librarians through her work with the Ohio Library Council, where she helps train new library directors and board of trustee members, focusing on honest conversations around diversifying libraries, their staff, and their collections.

“Libraries are meaningful, we are important, we are necessary, but I don’t always apply those words directly to me, so it’s just really nice to see my work being recognized,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong said that receiving the award was a full-circle moment for her and hopes to leave a legacy of reading, access, and community for the generations coming after her.

“When I walk away from this profession, that is what I want to leave behind,” she said.