Missy Dillingham, Children’s Service Manager at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library, received the Frances Neel Cheney Award from the Tennessee Library Association for 2020. This award recognizes a significant contribution to the world of books and librarianship through the encouragement of the love of books and reading.
After attending a PLA Conference, Missy came back with an idea to improve the functionality of the easy reader section in the Children’s Library. Each book in the easy reader section now has a colored sticker on its spine to indicate the book’s reading level. This makes the process of finding an appropriate book much easier for children and parents.
Dillingham has worked at the Library for over 35 years and her goal has always been to nurture a love of literature in the young patrons of the Brentwood community. Having worked in three different buildings and lived through two renovations during that time, Missy has made sure that the environment has been welcoming and engaging for the children when they visit. Whether she is ensuring the collection has what students need for homework assignments and to enjoy for summer reading or creating genre lists to guide young readers, she uses innovative approaches to maximize the experience of the Library’s youngest patrons.
