Congratulations Sally! What an impressive professional bio - for your AJL
work, ALA, and LILRC.
Debbie Rand
On Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 03:57:51 PM EDT, Michelle Margolis via
Hasafran <[email protected]> wrote:
Congratulations Sally!! What a wonderful achievement! My best, Michelle On
Thu, Mar 26, 2026, 1: 24 PM Paula Breger via Hasafran <hasafran@ lists. osu.
edu> wrote: Mazel tov to Sally Stieglitz, editor-in-chief of AJL News and
Reviews, on beingCongratulations Sally!! What a wonderful achievement!
My best, Michelle
On Thu, Mar 26, 2026, 1:24 PM Paula Breger via Hasafran
<[email protected]> wrote:
Mazel tov to Sally Stieglitz, editor-in-chief of AJL News and Reviews, on being
named winner of the 2026 CODES Louis Shores Award! Established in 1990, the
award recognizes an individual reviewer, group, editor, review medium, or
organizationMazel tov to Sally Stieglitz, editor-in-chief of AJL News and
Reviews, on being named winner of the 2026 CODES Louis Shores Award!
Established in 1990, the award recognizes an individual reviewer, group,
editor, review medium, or organization for excellence in book reviewing and
other media for libraries.
Congratulations, Sally, on a well-deserved honor!
Full statement issued by RUSA (Reference and Use Services Association):
|
Sally Stieglitz, Communications and Outreach Coordinator, Long Island Library
Resources Coordinator and Editor-in-Chief, Association of Jewish Librarian
(AJL) News and Reviews, named winner of the 2026 CODES Louis Shores Award.
|
|
“I am honored to be the 2026 recipient of the ALA RUSA CODES Louis Shores
Award. My thanks to the Louis Shores Award Committee, to Ellen Drucker-Albert,
Assistant Editor-in-Chief at AJL News and Reviews, and to the entire editorial
and review teamwho work tirelessly together to provide librarians with a
continuing resource for reviews of high-quality authentic Jewish books for
children, teens, and adults.” -Sally Stieglitz
|
|
“Sally Stieglitz is the deserving recipient of the 2026 RUSA CODES Louis Shores
Award for her commitment to the art of book evaluation, the advancement of
collection development, and the bridge between authors and the library
community.” – Award Committee statement
|
|
Sally Stieglitz’s leadership, in her role as Editor-in-Chief for the
Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) News and Reviews, has thoughtfully,
creatively, authoritatively, and interactively elevated Jewish book reviews to
build a platform which is useful and delightful for academic libraries, school
libraries, public libraries, and families across the country. This digital
publication reaches over 800 international members and touches all ages. Her
work ensures that library collections are not merely repositories of books, but
dynamic, inclusive, and expertly curated resources.
|
|
Sally’s leadership extends to the American Library Association (ALA), Ethnic
and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT), where she serves
as Chair of the Jewish Information Committee (JIC). In this capacity, she also
serves on the RUSA CODES Sophie Brody Medal Committee, contributing to the
selection of the year’smost outstanding contribution to Jewish literature. Her
significance and impact is further highlighted by her July 2021 interview on
C-SPAN’s Book TV, where she served as a public-facing expert on the
intersection of libraries and literature. Sally’s work is deeply rooted in the
practicalities of building diverse and relevant collections across multiple
library types. Since 2017, she has been a mainstay of the volunteer-led Long
Island Reads Committee who initiates a community book read and discussion,
promotes literacy through a shared reading experience, and coordinates related
library events annually. Through the Long Island Library Resources Council
(LILRC), she regularly creates a series of book and author programs. Most
notably, under her editorship, the Winter 2025 issue of AJL News and Reviews
focused on the Sydney Taylor Book Awards (attached), an annual award to
outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish
experience. This issue provided a rigorous evaluative framework that librarians
in both secular and religious institutions use to ensure their youth
collections are inclusive, authentic, and of the highest literary quality.
|
|
Sally serves as an aspirational figure for librarians seeking to influence the
publishing and reviewing industry. A prime example was her role on the “People
of the Book…Review” conference panel. Appearing alongside editors from School
Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and The Horn Book, Sally demonstrated how a
librarian’s voice is essential to the national reviewing ecosystem. She models
how practitioners can successfully transition from consuming reviews to
directing the editorial vision of a major professional journal, proving that
librarians are equal partners with trade editors in the book world. Sally has
transformed reviewing from a passive summary into an active professional
development tool. In the Fall 2025 issue of AJL News and Reviews (attached),
her interview with Dara Horn offered a deep intellectual dive providing
librarians with the necessary context to justify and promote complex titles.
Additionally, she facilitates live, intersectional programming as Chair of ALA
EMIERT's JIC, creating and running author programs including On Being
Jewish Now (Two Years Later): With Zibby Owens (October 2025) and “Queer Jewish
Joy for Young Readers” (June 2025). By integrating these live discussions with
traditional reviews, she offers an innovative, multi-dimensional approach to
selection that helps librarians navigate contemporary nuances in collection
development. In short, Sally’s work ensures that library collections are not
merely repositories of books, but dynamic, inclusive, and expertly curated
resources.
|
|
The CODES Louis Shores Award selection committee was Chaired by Erin Wen.
|
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