Hardin County Public Library director named Librarian of the Year

Hardin County Public Library Director Laurel Tabaka said it was quite the surprise when she was presented with the inaugural Librarian of the Year Award at the Kentucky Public Library Association’s annual conference.

“I was incredibly humbled, incredibly shocked,” Tabaka said. “I still really haven’t fully taken it all on board, but I’m very proud and very thankful for the honor and the recognition.”

According to a release, Tabaka was recognized for accomplishments including spearheading a $3.8 million library renovation, launching Home Base @HCPL to support veterans and military families, creating programs addressing critical needs, and expanding technology access across library services.

Tabaka said access to information is one of the most important points of the library’s mission, and expanding access and programming opportunities are important for growth of the library as well as the community.

“We definitely are thinking about how do we get folks into the library and then how do we get them to check out books, so we do that through programming with our children, with our teens, with our adults,” Tabaka said. “We find that very successful for us. Plus we have public computers, we have printing services, we have all kinds of stuff here. We have access to digital media, and we have access to databases for research. Truly it is a one-stop shop.”

Tabaka said she loves coming to work every day.

“I’m just so thankful that my board of trustees has placed their trust in me to direct the library,” Tabaka said. “I truly love Hardin County so very much, and I’m just really excited to see how we grow. I think our potential for the future is limitless.”

Learn more about the library’s offerings on the Hardin County Public Library Facebook page or at www.hcpl.info.