ICPL Director Named Woman of Influence

Susan Craig, Director of the Iowa City Public Library, has been named a 2013 “Woman of Influence” by the Corridor Business Journal (CBJ). Selected by an independent panel of judges, the award recognizes women “who have made a tremendous impact on the [Corridor] region,” according the CBJ.

In her speech at the awards ceremony on March 7 at the Coralville Marriott, Craig noted how diverse job responsibilities are for today’s librarians, “Part of the difficulty is you can’t define librarians because it’s difficult to measure what they do.”

Referencing recent Mastercard commercials, Craig listed several things librarians do on a daily basis that go beyond filing and checking out books: “As the credit card commercial says:

• Instilling the love of reading in a child … Priceless;
• Helping an out of work adult who has never used a computer get an email account and apply for a job online …  Priceless;
• Being the backup for when Google lets you down … Priceless;
• Providing open, free meeting space for the exchange of ideas and face to face interaction … Priceless;
• Offering a vibrant destination point that builds community and supports economic development … Priceless.”

More information about the award, as well as a slideshow of the awards ceremony, can be found here.

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