Altadena Library Official Honored by California Library Association

An Altadena Library District trustee has been awarded the California Library Association’s President’s Award for her contributions to libraries and literacy, the library announced Thursday.

Katie Clark, who serves as president of the Board of Trustees, has been named the recipient of the honor, the Altadena Library District said in a written statement.

“[She] is a central leader in the community of Altadena whose vision and tireless commitment to libraries have created a legacy of long-term, positive impact that will provide critical library services for Altadena for decades to come,” the statement said.

The CLA President’s Award recognizes “outstanding contributions, leadership, and achievement in support of California libraries by a Trustee, Friend, Elected Official, or other layperson who has given his or her time and talents to further the advancements of California libraries,” the statement added.

Upon joining the Board of Trustees in 2018, Clark championed transparency in governance, equity in the election process and “a visionary strategic planning process to guide the Altadena Libraries into a new era of library service,” according the statement.

Among her accomplishments, she spearheaded the effort behind Measure Z to support library funding, despite the pandemic, according to the library. The ballot measure passed with 73% voter approval in November.

Clark said she was “genuinely surprised” to learn she had been selected to receive the award.

“Most of all, I’m grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to serve as president of this board during a uniquely challenging year,” she said in a video statement.

“While I have the tremendous honor of receiving this award, you should know that this past year represented a huge collective, collaborative and community driven effort,” Clark said. “From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank all of the wonderful partners and collaborators and advisors and neighbors and local businesses, my fellow trustees, and most of all, our incredible library staff and our wonderful district director.

‘We came together during some pretty challenging circumstances, and we were able to achieve some pretty remarkable things,” Clark said.

Altadena Library District Director Nikki Winslow said Clark was highly deserving of the award.

“Our district’s renewed commitment to community engagement, listening, and innovation in library service can be directly linked to the strong foundation Trustee Clark has built through her work on the Board of Trustees,” Winslow said. “She is the true embodiment of a dedicated public servant.”

More information on Altadena Libraries can be found on the Altadena Library District’s website, altadenalibrary.org.