Sasha Vasilic, Niles-Maine District Library, Named Winner of the Deborah Dowley Preiser Marketing Award
August 17, 2018
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Sasha Vasilic, Public Relations & Marketing Supervisor at the Niles-Maine District Library, is the recipient of the 2018 Illinois Library Association Deborah Dowley Preiser Marketing Award. The award recognizes a library employee who has performed excellent work in public relations and programming over a period of several years. The award is presented and sponsored by the Oak Park Public Library.
Vasilic has been a staff member at the Niles-Maine District Library for more than thirteen years. In his current role, he has enhanced the reputation of the library in the local and broader community and attracted more patrons to attend programs. When Niles-Maine began hosting annual exhibits three years ago, Vasilic played an essential role in coordinating the exhibits, organizing adult programs, and leading the marketing initiatives. The exhibits, “The Sweeter Side of Chicago (Sweet Home Chicago)” (2016), “I Love Pizza” (2017), and “Spring into Baseball (Sox vs. Cubs: The Chicago Civil Wars)” (2018), told the histories of the exhibits’ topics using display panels, artifacts, and timelines. Up to 1,700 people viewed them during each of their two – to – three months runs. The exhibits also received media coverage from local newspapers and television news outlets, as well as sponsorships ranging from Home Run Inn to CIBC Bank - the latter helped cover the cost for this year’s exhibit. Additionally, the Adult Services department provided 10-30 programs that related to that year’s exhibit. These programs drew total audiences as large as 600 participants during an exhibit’s run.
“There are few things Sasha can’t do. Once he has developed a vision, I only need to get out of his way as he works tirelessly with his team to refine and implement it,” said Greg Pritz, business manager at Niles-Maine Public Library. Vasilic is also being recognized for other public relations and marketing efforts such as “Library President for a Day,” a contest for grades K-8 held during the 2016 presidential election season; the library’s name change campaign, and social media outreach promoting inclusion and diversity in the library. “His love and respect for the community he serves are evident in everything that he does and everything he believes,” added Pritz.
The Deborah Dowley Preiser Marketing Award will be presented at the Awards Luncheon to be held on Tuesday, October 9, during the 2018 Illinois Library Association Annual Conference in Peoria. The luncheon starts at 12:00 noon.
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