Baldwin Library wins new state LEAD award
The Baldwin Public Library in downtown Birmingham at 300 W. Merrill Street was recently honored by the Michigan Library Association (MLA) as the inaugural winner of the Library Excellence In Access And Diversity (LEAD) award.
This new award “recognizes a Michigan library for outstanding, measurable contributions to equity, diversity, accessibility, and belonging within the past 12 months. This award honors libraries that demonstrate leadership in creating welcoming, inclusive environments and expanding equitable access to services, collections, and opportunities for all members of their community.”
Several members of the Baldwin IDEA Task Force were in attendance at the annual MLA awards dinner, held on October 29 in Novi.
The task force’s nomination was submitted by library board member Wendy Friedman, with support from staff. Youth librarian Rosemary Isbell spoke on behalf of the committee at the ceremony.
Isbell’s comments included highlights about the ongoing efforts of the library staff to remove barriers to access, both online and in the building. In the past year, the IDEA Task Force has updated policies, promoted peer to peer discussion, audited collections and programming to ensure a variety of viewpoints are included, and updated building accessibility.
