In December, School of Information Studies alumna Eileen Annie Ball (MLS, 1998) was one of 27 winners of the 2004 New York Times Librarian Award. “Annie,” director of the Franklin County Library, sees a bit of irony in it.

“I wasn’t looking for a career in librarianship when I began working here in a part-time, 12 hour per week position,” she said in a recent conversation, “I had a background in writing and came to Florida to write a book but sometimes opportunities just find you.”

One such opportunity was when the previous director of the library had to leave due to health reasons. Annie found herself directing the operations of a small rural library.

“It’s very interesting and rewarding. In this size library, you do everything,” she said, “but librarianship is a cutting-edge profession. I needed more tools.”

Annie’s search for more tools led her to the master’s program at the School of Information Studies at FSU. As many of our master’s students can attest, both working and going to school full-time can be quite demanding. This was particularly the case in the days prior to the School’s online master’s degree program when Annie drove 1 1/2 to 2 hours to and from Tallahassee for class.

“Tough for those 8 a.m. classes,” Annie added, “but my education there was wonderful; my professors were excellent. I benefited from every class I took.”

The Franklin County community benefited from the classes Annie took as well. One of her nominators was recently quoted as having said “… under her direction and directly due to her ability in acquiring grant funding, the Franklin County Public Library had become more than just a place to check out books, but actually filled a need for a community center, a counseling center, an after school center and an educational center.”

It appears that, despite finding a career in librarianship by accident, Annie’s efforts to educate herself and apply that education to her professional environment have been quite successful. The New York Times Librarian Award, which recognizes librarians for their outstanding public service, is one of several awards that the Franklin County Library has garnered since Annie became director in 1994; the library won the American Library Association Excellence in Library Service for Young Adults Award (1997 and 2004) ranking in the top five library young adult programs in the nation, the 2003 Florida Library Association Betty Davis Miller Award, the 1996 Friends of Libraries USA Award, and the 1995 Public Library Association Excellence in Small and/or Rural Public Library Service Award.

Annie welcomes students with questions about librarianship in a rural community to contact her at fcpl9@gtcom.net. We honor her for her work and congratulate her on the recognition she has received.

January 12, 2005