Northwestern’s Beestrum is 2020 Illinois Academic Librarian of the Year
August 3, 2020
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(via the Illinois Library Association)
Molly Beestrum, Education and Curriculum Coordinator at Northwestern University’s Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center, is the 2020 recipient of the Illinois Library Association (ILA) Illinois Academic Librarian of the Year Award. The award, presented by the ILA Illinois Association of College and Research Libraries (IACRL) Forum, recognizes an Illinois librarian who is making an outstanding statewide contribution to academic or research librarianship and to library development. The award is sponsored by Library Juice Academy.
In her current position at Northwestern University, and throughout a career as a librarian spanning more than 15 years (including positions at Dominican University and Columbia College Chicago), Molly Beestrum has consistently demonstrated a willingness and eagerness to educate students and colleagues, especially by keeping them informed of the latest news and trends relevant to the profession. She is currently a member of the Illinois Library Association Executive Board, serving as ILA President from 2019 to 2020. In this role, she has guided the organization through the implementation of a new strategic plan, while helping it adapt to the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing call for racial and social justice in the country and the library profession. As Beestrum’s nominator writes, “Ms. Beestrum is especially significant due to her contributions to ILA during the COVID-19 global pandemic. She worked with the ILA staff to produce constant and consistent messaging in the daily COVID-19 Update enewsletter. Her leadership and dedication to ILA and the world of librarianship is evident in these messages.”
In addition to educating others, Beestrum has taken it upon herself to enhance her skills and knowledge as a librarian through professional development. She has served on the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois Instruction Committee, including having chaired it.
To see the full press release, please go here. A list of all of the 2020 ILA award winners is available here.
Congratulations!
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