EIU Booth Library

Booth wins Atkinson award for its digital literacy program

Posted on July 13th, 2022

Booth Library was the recipient of the Illinois Library Association’s 2022 Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award for Interlibrary Cooperation, which is awarded annually for sustained activity and contributions having a lasting impact on librarianship. The award is supported by the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Fund and by the Valerie J. Wilford Memorial Fund established in recognition of contributions to multi-type cooperation and resource sharing.

In 2021, EIU’s Booth Library was awarded a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Illinois Broadband READY program. The library received $44,000 to create a digital literacy program for the Southeast region of Illinois. With the grant funds, a digital literacy coordinator was hired to create curricular materials related to digital literacy for all ages – from elementary school students to retirees.

With proper feedback, the digital literacy coordinator successfully created a robust curriculum that covered various digital literacy topics. Additionally, a “train-the-trainer” model was implemented along with vigorous online literacy guides. Booth Library partnered with the Charleston Carnegie Public Library, Mattoon Public Library, Effingham Public Library, and the Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library in Sullivan. Additional program partners were the Lake Land College Adult and Alternative Education program, EIU Academy of Lifelong Learning, and Mattoon Community Unit School District 1.

Chris Houchens, Director of the Charleston Carnegie Public Library wrote in his nomination letter, “Booth Library has been an excellent partner not only to us, but all of the surrounding libraries in our littler corner of Illinois. I could not think of a better Library for the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award for Interlibrary Cooperation.”

The Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award was presented at an awards ceremony during the 2022 Illinois Library Association Annual Conference on Oct. 18-20, 2022, in Rosemont, Illinois.