The Bartlesville Public Library has earned the Ruth Brown Memorial Award for its collection of “Things,” BPL Director Shellie McGill said this week.
“I recently attended the Oklahoma Library Association Conference, and at the conference it was announced that the City received the Ruth Brown Memorial Award for ‘The Library of Things Project,’” McGill said.
Each year the Oklahoma Library Association’s Social Responsibilities Roundtable takes applications for the Ruth Brown Memorial Award, which is presented to recognize and support social issue-oriented programs implemented by or with libraries. The award commemorates the courageous spirit of Ruth Brown (1891-1975), a former Bartlesville librarian and OLA president who fought for racial integration in public libraries and was fired for her efforts in 1950.
“Our ‘Library of Things Project’ is a new collection at the Library,” McGill said. “It is a collection of things that can be checked out by patrons, such as musical Instruments, children’s tablets, microscopes, telescopes, bird watching kits, an Instant Pot and duct tape kits — the list is long. If you can imagine using it, we probably have it in our collection.”
McGill said the program has been a big hit with patrons, and the award is a reflection of its popularity.
“Our Library is pleased to offer this collection to patrons,” she said. “We feel blessed to receive this recognition.”