Awards & Scholarships

2022 Outstanding New Librarian

Presented by: Florida Library Association

To: Katrina Brockway

Katrina Brockway received her MLIS in 2020, exhibiting the qualities sought in new librarians: enthusiasm, dedication, creativity and knowledge. She excels in creating dynamic activities. Additionally, she actively serves on committees, prioritizes equity and provides exceptional customer service. She embodies the future of librarianship.

Presented by: Florida Library Association

2022 Intellectual Freedom Award

The Palm Beach County Library System increased access to books featuring black girls as lead characters through adopting the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign. Displays, bibliographies and a catalog-searchable hashtag raise awareness on representation. The staff’s ingenuity and perseverance now give young black female library members a strong presence in the Library’s collection.

2022 Betty Davis Miller Youth Services Award - Children

Presented by: Florida Library Association

Virtual Sensory Story Time (VSST) provides an inclusive virtual story time experience with books, songs and sensory activities. It is a highly attended virtual activity, averaging 22 weekly attendees. Since May 2021, 523 individuals have attended and 342 have passively watched. VSST has become a valuable source of enrichment for the special needs community.

Provided by The Friends of the Palm Beach County Library System

Kelley Bassinger

Jessica Calaway

Joseph Dellosa

Sharon Ennist

Jennifer Gallagher

Melissa Gift

Tiffany Gresh de Berry

Kayla Murray

Eric Nguyen

Melanie Norberto

Keisha Phillips-Daley

Maria Pineda

Jennifer Ramos

Michael Reff

Kari Smith

Kimberly Sullivan

Amanda Taylor

Briana Thomas

Jessica Waters

2022 Spectrum Scholar

Presented by: American Library Association Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services

To: Joseph Dellosa (ALSC Scholar in honor of Ellen Fader), Florida State University

Since 1997, ALA has awarded more than 1,300 Spectrum Scholarships. In the most recent application cycle, the Spectrum Scholarship Program received four times as many applications as there were available scholarships and the majority of this year’s applicants were deemed highly fundable. A prestigious committee of jurors selected this year’s Spectrum Scholars based on their commitment to community building, leadership potential and planned contributions to making social justice a part of everybody’s everyday work in Library and Information Science.

2022 Minority Scholarship

Presented by: Florida Library Association (ALA)

To: Joseph Dellosa

Joseph Dellosa is a Library Associate IV at the Clarence E. Anthony Branch and scored highest among this year’s applicants. The committee was impressed by his professional application and passion for the Glades community. His essays aligned with ALA and FLA core beliefs and demonstrated his commitment to the community.

2022 Team PBC Golden Palm Awards for Expanding Diversity in Children’s Collection

Recipients: Jennifer F. Gallagher, Doris Mendez-DeMaio and V. Amberdenise Puckett In response to Marley Dias’ national campaign, Amberdenise expanded the collection to include over 1,100 books featuring black girl protagonists. Jennifer made it accessible by cataloging with the hashtag #1000blackgirlbooks. Doris worked on selection and displays, making it a popular destination for girls and teens.

USF Alumni Association LGBT Scholarship

To: Melanie Norberto $2000 scholarship awarded for outstanding service to the LGBTQ+ community.

The USF Alumni Association LGBT Scholarship is a university-wide scholarship designed to assist USF in achieving and sustaining the educational benefits of diversity. This $2,000 scholarship is awarded for contributing outstanding service to the LGBTQ+ community.