West Vancouver Memorial Library Director Jenny Benedict is the recipient of the Association of British Columbia Public Library Directors (ABCPLD) 2019 Award of Excellence. The award was presented May 7 at the Association’s Annual General Meeting.
This award recognizes outstanding leadership in library advocacy, innovation and contribution to the library community, and represents the recognition of peers – fellow library directors across British Columbia.
Jenny has been an active member of the BC library community, recently serving as ABCPLD Chair in 2016-2017. At the presentation, her colleagues noted how in her role as Chair, she “raised the profile and professionalism of the organization, provided meaningful professional development opportunities for chief librarians and represented us well with partner organizations and the province.”
As Chair, she developed new communication tools and networks, making them sustainable by implementing a new membership fee structure for the Association to hire their first employee. She also played a pivotal role in establishing the Library Partners Advisory Group, an innovative collaboration that brings together all the leaders of library associations to create a unified voice on behalf of all libraries.
At the awards ceremony, Jenny’s colleagues also recognized her extraordinary commitment to mentorship, sharing how she is someone they have relied on over the years and how they have benefitted from her generous assistance and wisdom.
Association of British Columbia Public Library Directors Awards of Excellence