SCI alumna Stephanie Reinhardt recently received the Frances H. Pletz Award for Excellence in Service to Youth, which is given annually to a Michigan library staff person who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of library service to youth throughout their career. The award was among the 2020 Michigan Library Awards bestowed by the Michigan Library Association, the Michigan Association for Media in Education, and the Michigan Academic Library Association. These awards are considered the state’s highest honors within the library community.
“Stephanie is full of energy and excellence as a Children’s Librarian at the Auburn Area Branch Library,” said Linda Austin, Reinhardt's supervisor in the Bay County Library System. “Stephanie interacts with her patrons from the youngest to the oldest and talks to them at their level. Interacting with children at their level is the kind of behavior that impresses on the children that libraries are fun and that the people working there think they are important. This type of behavior will bring the children back when they become adults.”
"I am honored to receive this award, and so grateful to my colleagues for supporting me and encouraging me to keep adapting and dreaming big to better serve our community together," said Reinhardt.
Reinhardt received her Master of Library and Information Science degree from SCI and has worked as a youth services librarian at a variety of libraries over the past several years.
Please join us in congratulating Stephanie on this exciting honor!