CCPL Executive Director Angela Craig (left) presented the award to CCPL Circulation Services Manager Lucia Hayes (right) at the library’s Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday, Nov. 18
Press Release
Charleston County Public Library (CCPL) received two awards (overall winner and honorable mention) from Unique Management Services as part of their 2021 Library Awards honoring top performing libraries throughout the country who made the biggest impacts on their communities.
CCPL was named a “Defender of the Collection” overall winner in the East Region and received an honorable mention in the “Back in the Fold” category for the East Region. According to Unique, the Defender of the Collection category honors libraries that have recovered a high volume of overdue materials in the past 36 months to defend public assets and ensure availability of useful and critical materials for all patrons. CCPL was one of only 8 libraries nationally to receive this award. The award also included a $500 donation to the Charleston Friends of the Library that will be used to fund future programs and services at CCPL.
The Back in the Fold category recognizes libraries that have returned a high percentage of patrons to “good standing” to be able to continue utilizing library services, which supports equity and accessibility in their communities. While CCPL was not an overall winner in this category, they were one of only six libraries in the East Region to receive Honorable mention.
“We are thrilled to receive these awards from Unique,” said CCPL Circulation Services Manager Lucia Hayes. “Accessibility to library materials and services is vital. Working with Unique helps us ensure that materials remain available to the community and patrons resolve their overdue accounts, allowing them full, untethered access to all our libraries have to offer”.
Winners were chosen by Unique's team who partner with more than 1,350 libraries across the country to effectively recover materials while preserving patron goodwill. Libraries were categorized by size, region, and volume to determine the top-performing partners who made the biggest impacts on their communities.
“All libraries deserve recognition for their unprecedented response this past year to provide vital services to their patrons and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Unique President and CEO Nicole Atkins. “Unique developed this award program as a small way to say thank you, celebrating libraries and librarians for their constant dedication and meaningful impacts.”
Unique Management Services is the world's leading material recovery and patron communication service for libraries, with nearly 2,000 library partners nation-wide. For more information, visit uniquelibrary.com or call 800-879-5453.
