2023 WLA AWARDS & HONORS

2023 Awards Announcements

The Wisconsin Library Association is pleased to announce the 2023 Library Awards & Honors recipients for their outstanding contributions to libraries and librarianship:

The WLA Awards program is supported by the WLA Foundation and through individual charitable contributions.  WLA engages, inspires and advocates for library workers and supporters to improve and promote library services for the people of Wisconsin.  The awards program is one way the association acknowledges the dedication of its members to provide exemplary library service.

Librarian of the Year - Steve Platteter

Steve Platteter has been a quiet, impactful presence in the library community for 30 years. Recently, he demonstrated exceptional leadership as he guided the merger of the Arrowhead Library System (ALS) and Lakeshores Library System to form the new Prairie Lakes Library System.  His nominators described Steve as someone who is humble, inclusive, willing to honor multiple perspectives, trustworthy, and collaborative. He has the ability to have difficult conversations and bring people together in pursuit of the common good. These qualities led to the 2022 endorsement of every ALS member library board and in the unanimous vote (26-0) of the Rock County Board of Supervisors to move forward with the merger. Steve is a mentor to many and active in the profession serving on the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium Board, the System and Resource Library Administrator’s Association of Wisconsin, the WiLS Board, and serves as a photographer for the Wisconsin Library Association.  

Library of the Year - Brown County Library 

Brown County Library (BCL) is a consolidated library system serving more than 270,000 residents that the nominators described as people-focused and action-orientated, putting people at the center of all that they do. In the last 2 years, BCL has developed a Belonging Action Plan after completing DPI’s Inclusive Services Assessment, hosted a Reading Success Summit to tackle the challenge of declining reading proficiency rates, and moved forward with long-delayed capital projects including a new Each Branch and Bookmobile. BCL also serves as host sites for summer lunch programs, has a grant-funded vertical grow unit that provides fresh lettuce for library visitors year-round, distributes free hats made by volunteers, serves as collection sites for community diaper and blanket drives, coordinates a seed library, and hosts rotating exhibits of local art. Public programs like Genealogy 101, Ren Faire, and PopCorn utilize library spaces creatively and resourcefully.  BCL also has a presence in statewide organizations such as Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries and Wisconsin Library Association, UW-Green Bay’s Learning in Retirement program, Library Workforce Connection, and many other library and community initiatives. BCL has made significant impacts to the community to help make the area a better place to live, work, and play.

Programming Innovation Award - 

Milton Public Library’s Little Owl/Wise Owl Reading Program puts a new spin on the summer reading program and serves as a way for teens to support, encourage, and guide younger readers to help them become more confident and to instill the joy of reading. This eight-week program pairs up a student in grades 1 through 3 (Little Owls) with a teen volunteer in grades 7 through 12 (Wise Owls) for weekly one-on-one reading sessions.  The experience culminates in the creation of an original picture ebook that the pairs create together using iPads provided by the library.  The program is in its tenth year with participation doubling in the last year.  Recently, the program partnered with a retired Literary Specialist to share best practices with the Wise Owls related to connecting with and mentoring younger readers. Parents have indicated that their Little Owls thrive during the following school year and some Little Owls eventually have become Wise Owls. The program not only builds an important shared love of books but also allows practice of life skills while encouraging positivity and the enjoyment of reading. 

Trustee of the Year - Amy Schlotthauer

Amy Schlotthauer has been a member of the Menomonee Falls Public Library Board since 2021 and served as President in 2022 and 2023. During this time, she has led strategic planning efforts, donating her own skills and time as a professional consultant, which resulted in a robust strategic plan at no cost to her library. But her work didn’t stop there. She has continuously used the strategic plan to advocate for increased budgets, to check in with staff on their goals, to plan and attend library programs, and advocate on a local and state level for the library. Through her background in public health, Amy was able to introduce health initiatives like Narcan training and fentanyl testing, free period products, and blood pressure monitors available for checkout. Library staff and fellow board members alike describe her as fair, inclusive, transparent, exceptionally supportive, and always willing to lend a helping hand. For these reasons and more, Amy Schlotthauer has been selected as the Wisconsin Library Association 2023 Trustee of the Year.

Citation of Merit - Lisa Baudoin

Lisa Baudoin, owner of Books & Company in Oconomowoc, is the winner of Wisconsin Library Association’s Citation of Merit in 2023. As a local business owner, Lisa Baudoin has demonstrated her support of literacy and libraries through her planning of author events at local libraries and bringing authors to local schools in order to create a “community of readers” in Oconomowoc, as well as planning events especially for librarians and educators at her store. Her support for the library means she often directs her own customers to the library, generously promotes library events and services, and speaks passionately about the value of public libraries. Her nominators describe her as “an effective advocate, enthusiastic partner, and steadfast friend.”

WLA President’s Volunteer Award - Anne Moser