By Kevin Cherry IMLS Senior Program Officer Congratulations to Marcia Smith-Woodard of the Indiana State Library! In June 2008, IMLS awarded a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Grant to the Indiana State Library and the Indiana University School of Library Science (IU SLIS) at Indianapolis to recruit and educate 30 ethnically/racially diverse students for “Indiana's Librarians Leading in Diversity” (I-LLID) Project. Organizations and institutions supporting the project included the Indiana State Library Diversity Advisory Council (DAC); Administrators and Directors of Large Public Libraries in Indiana (ADOLPLI); Academic Libraries of Indiana (ALI) ; Indiana Black Librarians Network (IBLN); Indiana Library Federation (ILF); and the Indiana Special Libraries Association (InSLA). Shepherding the project the entire way was the indefatigable Marcia Smith-Woodard of the Indiana State Library. She recruited star students, found them mentors, rounded up exemplary extracurricular activities and professional development opportunities for the students, took care of the considerable paperwork, and then provided informal but intensive career counseling to her scholarship recipients when they found themselves graduating into a highly competitive job market.

Marcia Smith-Woodard receives the Indiana Library Federation's 2011 Special Services Award with 2011 Indiana Library Federation President, John Borneman (left) and Indiana State Library Deputy Director Jim Corridan

On November 15, 2011 Marcia-Smith-Woodard’s “above and beyond” commitment to the project was recognized by the Indiana Library Federation, which gave her its 2011 Special Services Award. This award recognizes “exceptional contributions or services which strengthen library services in a local community, school, or across the state.” The recipient’s contributions must be of “an extraordinary nature with unprecedented benefits to library or media center services.” Congratulations Marcia! And well deserved.
Programs
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program