Carolyn Kinsella (MSLIS '03), Beverly Frett (MSLIS '04), and Adjunct Lecturer Karen Egan have been selected to receive awards from the Association of Illinois School Library Educators (AISLE). They will be honored at an awards banquet during the AISLE Annual Conference, which will be held from October 5–7 in Champaign, Illinois.
Kinsella will receive the 2025 Polestar Award, which is presented to honor an AISLE member who has made outstanding contributions to school library media programs in Illinois. She is a former university supervisor for the iSchool's School Librarian Licensure Program, a retired school librarian, and current AISLE executive secretary.
Frett will receive the 2025 Lifetime Membership Honor Award, which recognizes the contributions of an individual for faithful, exceptional service to the association. Like Kinsella, she is also a former university supervisor for the School Librarian Licensure Program and retired school librarian. Frett currently serves on the AISLE leadership team.
Egan will receive the Crystal Honor, which recognizes distinguished support of, or contributions to, school librarianship, school libraries, and/or AISLE. In addition to serving as an adjunct lecturer at the iSchool, Egan is associate director, grants and programs, for the Illinois State Library.