Virginia Library Association's Library of the Year Winner is Samuels Public Library

The Virginia Library Association congratulates the 2024 Virginia Library of the Year, Samuels Public Library.

Samuels Public Library has been providing public access to literature and learning in Warren County in the Town of Front Royal for more than two centuries. The Front Royal Librarian Society was the second subscription library in the Commonwealth, receiving its charter in 1799. In 1836 the Society was incorporated by the General Assembly and throughout the next century, the Library persevered through war and the Depression. The community has always supported the Library. The ladies of Warren County even held a “Silver Tea” with participants donating a book to grow the collection. Then in 1952 local resident Dr. Bernard Samuels donated a building to house the Library. This generosity was acknowledged through a renaming, and Samuels Public Library was born. With bequests and patron commitments, the Library was about to build a new modern facility which opened to the public in 1980 and with continued community growth and the cooperation of Warren County the doors opened anew in 2009 to a warm, friendly and beautiful location that is now home to Samuels Public Library and the many patrons we call friends.

Today, Samuels Public Library serves more than 41,000 people in the County of Warren and strives to bring people, information, and ideas together to enrich lives and build community. In the last fiscal year the Library had more than 127,000 visitors, over 400,000 checkouts, and hosted 542 programs that saw 19,194 attendees. With growth and commitment to state-of-the-art services, the library was recently honored to receive a grant from the Mellon Foundation to improve and establish a combination Memory Lab and Makerspace enhancing free services for all.

Samuels continues its mission to improve and grow, to provide our community with excellent resources and services, special programs and events, updated technology and will remain one of the best community resources in Front Royal and Warren County.

"One of the most significant accomplishments of Samuels Library is its continuous dedication throughout a 9-month challenge the Library faced against a small group in the community with the intent to censor books in early 2023. In the midst of the challenge, the Warren County Board of Supervisors decided to withhold 75% of the Library’s annual budget until a compromise was made. Samuels Library made changes to address the issues the group had with some of the books on our shelves, including creating a new collection called New Adult, reviewing all Young Adult (YA) books, moving a selection of YA books to New Adult, and creating two new youth library cards with checkout restrictions."

"Nonetheless, Samuels Library is ready to fight for the First Amendment rights of all by strictly adhering to our Collection Development Policy and ensuring our collection reflects a multitude of ideas."

"In 2023, Samuels Public Library experienced more than 300 book challenges by a very small (53 individuals out of 20,549 patrons) but vocal minority in the community who demanded that books be removed from the collection based solely on LBGTQ content and that the library change its non-profit structure. The library’s leadership stood firm and defended its collection policies and structure. The library’s staff, Board of Trustees, the Friends of the Samuels Public Library, and hundreds of community members jumped in to defend the library and ensure its safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment for all patrons. The library not only survived this contentious challenge, but it has also thrived in its wake."

In order to celebrate the accomplishments of those who support and transform libraries throughout the Commonwealth, the Virginia Library Association, through the hard work of the Awards and Recognition Committee, offers a number of awards. Visit our VLA Awards page for more information about all of our awards. The 2024 winners are:

• Academic Innovator Award: Craig Arthur, Virginia Tech

• Advocacy Award: Fran Milhouser and Suzanne Levy, Fairfax County Public Library

• Donna G. Cote Librarian of the Year: Michelle Paxton, York County Public Library

• Friends of the Library Award: Friends of Samuels Library, Samuels Public Library
• 
Librarian of Color Forum Award: Eletha Davis, Williamsburg Regional Library

• Outstanding Professional Associates Award: Shannon Hendrix, Virginia Beach Public Library
• 
Professional Associates Forum Award: Darla Boardwine, Tazewell County Public Library

• Public Library Innovator Award: Community Learning Department - Minerva Hernandez Garcia, Suffolk Public Library
• 
Trustee Library Award: Melody Hotek, Samuels Public Library

• Up and Comer Award: Amanda Henderson, Suffolk Public Library

• Virginia Library of the Year: Samuels Public Library

• VLAPAF Supporters of Professional Associates Award: Clenise Platt, Virginia Beach Public Library
• Honorary Life Membership: Betsy Fowler 

All Virginia Library Association award winners will be honored at the Opening Session of the VLA Annual Conference, at 10AM on October 17, 2024 at the Norfolk Marriott Waterside, VA in conjunction with the VLA Annual Conference. For details about all of the winners and their accomplishments, click here.