This article was originally published on timesfreepress.com.
The Friends of the Chattanooga Public Library have received an honorable mention from the American Library Association, according to a news release.
United for Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, hosted the Baker & Taylor Awards, which recognized the group for its efforts to support the library.
Friends opened the SkyLib Honor Bookstore at the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, raising funds, providing a quiet space for reading and increasing awareness of the library.
"The Friends of the Chattanooga Public Library are pleased to receive an honorable mention from the American Library Association for the Sky Lib project at The Chattanooga Airport," the group said in a release.
The Williamsburg (Va.) Regional Library Foundation and the Friends of Smyrna (Tenn.) Library were also recognized as the two winners and have been awarded $1,000 and a clock from Baker & Taylor to honor their achievements.
The Williamsburg Regional Library Foundation raised more than $750,000 through a capital campaign to help with construction costs for its new Stryker Center. By doing so the library gained critical space that more than doubled its community meeting space, added a museum-quality exhibit area, and created new administrative offices.
The Friends of Smyrna Library developed a "Spruce Up Smyrna Library" campaign to raise funds for improvements to the library's aging facility. Due to the publicity the campaign received, a local real estate firm chose the project for its yearly volunteer day, and phase one was a collaboration between its employees and the Friends.
In addition, the Friends of the Orion Township Library (Lake Orion, Mich.) also earned an honorable mention after they held a successful cultural fundraising gala, "Passport to Spring: Japan, A Festival of Seasons," collaborating with several local organizations including the Consulate General of Japan in Detroit.
The groups were recognized at United for Libraries' Gala Author Tea, sponsored by ReferenceUSA, at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.
The Baker & Taylor Awards have been given annually since 2000 and have recognized more than 45 groups for outstanding efforts to support their library.