LJ Wins Prize for Makeover of New Orleans Public Library Branch

Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 8/14/2007

The New Orleans Public Library (NOPL) Foundation will get another $1000 to help revive the struggling system, thanks to an award given to Library Journal for its 2006 makeover of NOPL’s Alvar Branch. LJ was first runner-up in the 2007 W.D. Littleford Awards, which honor "outstanding dedication to corporate community service." The awards were presented at a luncheon today at the Union League Club in Manhattan.

Each of the six finalists was nominated by an American Business Media member company and the subject of an article in the company’s publication. LJ was self-nominated. "Reviving Alvar" was the cover story in the Fall 2006 issue of LJ’s semi-annual Library By Design supplement. In her remarks today, LJ executive editor Rebecca Miller explained that the magazine in the previous year had begun an annual practice of library makeovers; last year, "[Hurricanes] Katrina and Rita made up our minds for us." More than half of the total project cost of $800,000 was contributed by vendors and other professionals in the library industry. Jeff Scherer of the architecture and interior firm Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd.; George Coe of the wholesaler Baker & Taylor; and Ron Biava of the NOPL Foundation were singled out for thanks.

The Littleford winner was the Halcrow Group (nominated by McGraw-Hill’s Engineering News Record), which donated more than $147,000 in aid to victims of the devastating 2004 tsunami and sent engineers to three countries in Africa and Asia to help build water wells, a sanitation facility, and new houses.

The William D. Littleford Awards for Corporate Community Service were named after and established by the chairman emeritus of BPI Communications Inc. to recognize companies, organizations, or individuals involved in active community service programs aimed at alleviating critical social problems. Littleford established this award to raise the visibility of business media, to encourage increased coverage and recognition of community service success stories; and to inspire other organizations to seek such solutions. The 2007 Littleford Awards were sponsored by the Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc., an investment bank for the media and information industry.