Today is International Literacy Day, and in celebration, we’d like to announce that Deputy State Librarian Joy Poole has been awarded the 2013-14 Distinguished Service Award by the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy. Poole was recognized on June 20 at the Coalition’s 26th Annual Meeting & Conference.
Poole is a career public servant who has been with the State Library for nine years – first as the Public Services Bureau Chief and currently as the Deputy State Librarian. For fifteen years, Poole was a museum director for various sites including the Colorado Historical Society – Trinidad Museum Properties, where she was instrumental in helping the Santa Fe Trail become designated as a National Historic Trail after receiving a national award from the American Association of State and Local History. Prior to joining the State Library, Poole achieved a career goal when she oversaw the construction project for the newest of New Mexico’s historic sites, El Camino Real International Heritage Center for the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.
“Joy has gone well beyond her service in public administration to support the work of the NMCL and its local affiliate programs,” said Heather Heunermund, Executive Director of the NMCL. “She has served steadfastly and most humbly to meet the needs of New Mexico’s population of illiterate and low-literate adults, facilitating the funds and other resources allocated to the programs that support them. Rarely do we see that kind of dedication to a most-needed cause.”
“On behalf of the New Mexico State Library, I am proud to champion the ongoing tutoring offered by many local literacy organizations and the work of the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy,” Poole said. “Adults who have difficulty reading are courageous to step forward in an effort to identify an educational path towards improving their lives and those of their family.”
Congrats, Joy, on this well-deserved recognition!
More information about NMCL and NMSL
Since 1987, the NMCL has provided funding, training, technical assistance, access to a special lending library, and public relations to adult literacy programs throughout New Mexico. Its one-to-one tutoring structure targeted at individuals reading below a sixth grade level is provided by professionally trained and certified tutors. The NMCL was established under the Carruthers administration by First Lady Kathy Carruthers and has remained a state initiative since its founding. Begun as an effort to gain support through the legislature to provide modest operating expenses for community-based adult literacy programs, the NMCL has grown both in stature and capacity to develop these programs. For more information, visit newmexicoliteracy.org.
The New Mexico State Library supports the NMCL by allocating annual funds from the state to the Coalition for adult literacy services. Originally, the NMCL applied annually to the Governor for a state distribution of funds from the Governor’s Discretionary Fund. But currently, the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), of which the State Library is a division, allows allocated funds to flow through the State Library to the NMCL.