[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 137 (Monday, October 6, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S10444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          ANN ARBOR DISTRICT LIBRARY--1997 LIBRARY OF THE YEAR

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate the Ann 
Arbor District Library for being chosen the 1997 national library of 
the year by the Library Journal. The Ann Arbor District Library is 
being recognized for providing innovative and comprehensive services to 
the public in a highly responsive manner. Some of the recent changes at 
the Ann Arbor District Library include investments in technology to 
provide an extensive CD-ROM collection and Internet and World Wide Web 
connections. Also of note is the library's award winning welcome to the 
library packet which is aimed at parents of at-risk children to 
encourage reading, education, and child safety. All of these 
innovations have resulted in a significant increase in the library's 
usage.
  Standing alone, the library's technological innovations, public 
awareness campaigns and exemplary service would be reason enough to 
merit this prestigious award. However, what is even more remarkable 
about the Ann Arbor District Library is that all of these new changes 
took place during a time of tremendous transition. In 1994, the Ann 
Arbor District Library was still part of the Ann Arbor Public School 
System. That same year, voters in Michigan approved a state-wide tax 
restructuring proposal which had the effect of preventing the Ann Arbor 
District Library from renewing its tax levy under the school districts. 
In order to survive, the Ann Arbor District Library had to become its 
own public entity with its own governing board and its own millage. Not 
only did the library succeed at doing all of this in only 2 years, but 
it also managed to institute all of those wonderful changes as well.
  It took the exceptional talents of many dedicated library staff, 
trustees, and community members to institute new programs and services 
in a seamless manner to its patrons while simultaneously creating a new 
public entity from the ground up. In particular, I would like to 
recognize and congratulate the Ann Arbor District Library's 
administrative team which consists of the library's director, Mary Anne 
Hodel and her top deputies, Tim Grimes, Lana Straight, Don Dely, Gary 
Pollack, and Marge LaRose.
  The Library Journal's selection of the Ann Arbor District Library as 
the 1997 library of the year is a fitting tribute to all of the hard 
work that went into establishing this library as an important, well 
utilized and well run public institution. 

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