(l. to r.) Sarah Beth Lesko receives Rising Star Award, presented to her by Jordan Reynolds.
The Saline County Library is proud to announce that Youth Services Manager, Sarah Beth Lesko is the recipient of the 2019 Rising Star Award from the Arkansas Library Association.
On September 29th, the Arkansas Library Association held an award ceremony as a part of the ArLA 2019 Conference. Saline County Library staff traveled to Hot Springs to watch Lesko receive her award.
“What makes Sarah Beth stand out is her dedication to her staff and the community she serves,” said Marketing Coordinator, Jordan Reynolds in her presentation speech.
Lesko was nominated not only for her outstanding work as a manager and librarian, but also because of her work in creating the Library of Love.
Over the past year, she has formed partnerships with local child advocacy centers to create the Library of Love, which is a spin on Little Free Libraries. The Library of Love provides a book box and books to child advocacy centers. For children experiencing abuse, books can provide an escape from chronic stress and their everyday worries.
“Some of the kids who come through a child advocacy center have lost everything due to in-home offenders and one of their most requested items are books,” said Lesko. “The Libraries of Love in these centers can meet this simple need.”
The Rising Star Award was first awarded in 2017 and is used to recognize a library worker who has worked in libraries for less than 5 years and has provided exceptional service for their library community.
Sarah Beth has been with the Saline County Library for three years and she has been the Youth Services Manager for one year. Over the past three years, Sarah Beth has formed partnerships with local youth service groups and has skyrocketed our homeschool program, resulting in an average attendance of over 70 kids at Homeschool Hour each week. The Saline County Library and our community have benefited greatly by having her on our team!
To view a full list of winners, visit www.ArLib.org. For more information on the Saline County Library, including hours, visit www.SalineCountyLibrary.org or call 501-778-4766.