This interview is from SDPB's daily public-affairs show, In the Moment, hosted by Lori Walsh.
The South Dakota Library Association announced its annual awards at the kickoff of the 2021 SDLA Conference (held virtually this year). Jan Brue Enright of Dakota State University was named Librarian the Year.
Brue appeared surprised by the announcement. As she accepted the award, coworkers gathered behind her at the library with cake and balloons, and family members appeared on another computer screen for a surprise video call of congratulations.
The role of librarians is essential, Brue Enright says.
"We're very committed to the idea that information is so crucial and so important. We are here to help people find the best information and the most accurate information that's out there," Brue Enright said. "That can be really tough these days. Each of us needs to become more literate in how we consume and produce information. The library, any library, can be a great place to start that work and start that conversation."
Enright spent 20 years as a circulation/reference librarian at Augustana University in Sioux Falls. She is now director at the Karl E. Mundt Library at Dakota State University in Madison.
Other SDLA 2021 Award Winners:
Support Staff of the Year: Juliet Heltibridle, Rapid City Public Library
Trustee of the Year: Dale Fiedler, Redfield Carnegie Library
Friend of the Library: Daughters of the American Revolution, Catherine Thybo Chapter
New Librarian of the Year: Audrea Bueller