HOPE MILLS — Meg Smith, librarian and branch manager at Hope Mills Branch Library, will serve on the 2014 John Newbery Award Committee. Smith is one of eight elected members of the group of 15 that each year selects the most distinguished contribution to American children’s literature.
Because of her selection to the committee, Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center will receive hundreds of donated books from publishers valued at thousands of dollars. These books will be added to the library’s collection for children. Smith will also partner with area schools to promote the award and to receive feedback from students.
Smith began work in Cumberland County in 2006 as the Youth Services manager at the library’s headquarters. In 2010, she was promoted to branch manager at the Hope Mills location.
A native of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Smith received her bachelor’s degree there from the University of Northern Iowa. She attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where she earned her master of Library Science degree.
The Newbery Medal award is given to the author of the most eminent contribution to American children’s literature, and is the oldest children’s book award in the world. The award, given annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, is considered the most coveted book award bestowed upon an author.
Smith’s work begins in January in Seattle, where the committee will begin reviewing all children’s books published in 2013. The winner will be announced at the 2014 American Library Association Conference in Philadelphia.
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