Ziglinski to accept Mora Award at ALA Midwinter

Emily Ziglinski (MS '08) is the Latino liaison at the Springfield Public Library in Springfield, Oregon which was named as one of two winners of the 2011 Estela and Raúl Mora Award given by REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking. Ziglinski will accept the award on behalf of the Springfield Public Library on January 22, 2012 at ALA Midwinter.

From the REFORMA press release. A full copy of the press release can be found on the REFORMA website. An interview with Emily can be found online as well.

REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking, is pleased to announce that two library systems have been selected to be the recipients of the 2011 Estela and Raúl Mora Award for exemplary efforts in promoting El día de los niños/El día de los libros. The winning libraries are the Santa Ana Public Library in California, and the Springfield Public Library in Oregon. This brings the total number of Mora Award winners to 17, as “Día” celebrates its 15th anniversary this year.

The Estela and Raúl Mora Award was established by author and poet Pat Mora and her siblings in honor of their parents and to promote El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), also known as Día. Culminating celebrations of this year-long initiative that links all children to books, languages, and cultures are traditionally held on or near April 30. The Mora award is presented annually, in partnership with REFORMA, to the most exemplary celebration(s). The Santa Ana and Springfield library systems will each receive $1,000 and a plaque commemorating their efforts.

Springfield Public Library planned its Día celebration with the help of volunteers. Public school classrooms were invited to create milagros (artistic expressions of wishes and desires) which were displayed at the library. Bilingual author Amy Costales presented songs and stories. Craft activities included bookmarks, piñatas, creating favorite book characters out of clay and bookmaking with the help of a bilingual list of story-starting ideas. Notably, the event was inclusive of parents with lower literacy skills, who were invited to orally share stories during craft activities. Two hundred people attended and 70 Spanish and bilingual books were awarded in a raffle.

“Springfield’s celebration demonstrated to the committee that smaller Día events can have a big impact,” said Wallace. “We noted the heartfelt commitment for their Día to promote a community of inclusion and connect families to books and reading in a fun, positive, and empowering environment.” According to Springfield library’s Latino liaison, Emily Ziglinski: “Community connections are important to literacy; if children are comfortable in an environment, then they are able to relax and learn.”

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