Announcing Recipients of NNLM’s 2026 ARSL Professional Development Award

Posted by Carolyn Martin on July 6th, 2026 Posted in: Consumer Health, Education, Funding, Library staff, News from NNLM, Public Libraries
Tags: Consumer Health Information Specialization, Funding, professional development, Public Libraries

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The Network of the National Library of Medicine’s (NNLM) Training Office and Region 1 are proud to announce the recipients of the Association for Rural & Small Libraries professional development award. Out of a highly competitive pool of applicants from across the United States, twenty outstanding library professionals were selected for their dedication to community service.

Region 5 is proud to say this includes Hannah Meyer of the Kenai Community Library in Alaska. Congratulations, Hannah!

Additional recipients of this award include:

• Tanya Alexander, Arab Public Library (Alabama)
• Tim Wright, Edmondson Memorial Library (Mississippi)
• Arlisa Harris, Forrest City Public Library (Arkansas)
• John Henning Jr., Kingman Carnegie Library (Kansas)
• Jessie Hoag, Toronto Public Library (Kansas)
• Rebecca Williams, Broken Bow Public Library (Oklahoma)
• Dennis Andrejko, Wilkinson Public Library (Colorado)
• Becky Newton, Maroa Public Library District (Illinois)
• Nancy Ramirez, Le Mars Public Library (Iowa)
• Gisi Vella, Morton Memorial Library (New York)
• Margaret Woodruff, Charlotte Library (Vermont)
• Anna Louise Kallas, Jackson County Public Library (Kentucky)
• Ashley Wagers, Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library (North Carolina)
• Nikki Hancock, Corbin Public Library (Kentucky)
• Katie Tyson, Logan County Public Library (Kentucky)
• Kristin Smith, Scottdale Public Library (Pennsylvania)
• Monica Edwards, William B. Harlan Memorial Library (Kentucky)
• Raina Birchfiled-Ford, Wolfe County Public Library (Kentucky)
• Rusteen Dowling-Hughes, Clinton County Public Library (Kentucky)

The award covers travel expenses and conference registration, ensuring that awardees can bring valuable insights back to their communities. Recipients will also participate in a pre-conference training session, Healthy Roots, Strong Communities: Health Information Resources and Programming. This specialized workshop allows recipients to earn continuing education credits toward a Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS), equipping them with certified skills to help patrons find and navigate trustworthy medical and public health resources.

“We are thrilled to provide this award to rural and small libraries, which play a vital role in connecting their communities with trusted health information. By supporting attendance at the ARSL Conference, we hope participants will gain new knowledge, skills, and connections that strengthen their ability to help patrons access reliable health information and ultimately improve the health and well-being of their communities,” said Jessi Van Der Volgen, Assistant Director of NNLM’s Training Office