2026 I Love My Librarian Award Ceremony | American Library AssociationTracy Fitzmaurice, longtime Jackson County librarian and director of the Fontana Regional Library, has been honored with the 2026 I Love My Librarian Award for her transformative leadership in rural western North Carolina. In a region with limited transportation and broadband access in the Blue Ridge Mountains, she championed inclusivity by creating custom volunteer roles for patrons with disabilities (including autism), hosting disability-focused film screenings, and fostering a welcoming environment that built confidence and joy for community members.
Under her guidance, the library system launched programs like digital navigators for technology skills, mobile cooking classes, and professional development, while playing a vital post-Hurricane Helene role by keeping internet available on library grounds as a community lifeline. The Jackson County libraries in Sylva and Cashiers also earned Western Carolina University’s 2025 Organizational Mountain Heritage Award for preserving Southern Appalachian culture.
Selected from over 1,300 nationwide nominations, Fitzmaurice received a $5,000 prize at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, despite resigning in February 2026 amid local political turbulence. Nominators praised her as an indispensable advocate for the rural communities of Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties.
Source: I Love Libraries Hat Tip to the Readers who shared the video
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